Information for
victims of the lung cancer mesothelioma

 

We provide general mesothelioma data, stages of the cancer, treatment options, treatment by stage, more asbestos related problems, as well as links and information about legal help if needed from an asbestos attorney/mesothelioma lawyer.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that make up the lining around the outside of the lungs and inside of the ribs (pleura), or around the abdominal organs (peritoneum).

Mesothelioma

The law limits the amount of time after a patient incurs an injury to file suit.

The amount of time varies based on the theory of liability and the state in which the patient files the suit.

If you or someone you love is suffering from mesothelioma – or has died as a result of it –  contact us.

We can help you understand your rights and options, and ensure that you have the opportunity to seek compensation for your injuries.

   

 

What does asbestos have to do with mesothelioma?

The only known cause of mesothelioma in the United States is previous exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos manufacturers knew about the hazards of asbestos seventy years ago - but they kept this knowledge to themselves. The first warnings given to workers exposed to asbestos were in the mid-1960s, and they were terribly inadequate. Even today, workers are not always told they are working around asbestos and are at risk for asbestos disease.

What can someone with mesothelioma do?

  • Seek out the best and most up-to-date information.
  • Seek out the best medical care.
  • Early screening for mesothelioma diagnosis.
  • Stay in close contact with your doctor.
  • Consider whether or not you want to bring a lawsuit because of this asbestos-related injury.
  • Remember that resources are available to you through community and medical support groups, asbestos victims' organizations, your place of worship, as well as your family and friends.

How common is mesothelioma?

Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

Who is at increased risk for developing mesothelioma?

Asbestos has been mined and used commercially since the late 1800s. Its use greatly increased during World War II. Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with asbestos exposure were not known. However, an increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople. Today, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets limits for acceptable levels of asbestos exposure in the workplace. People who work with asbestos wear personal protective equipment to lower their risk of exposure.

The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.

There is some evidence that family members and others living with asbestos workers have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, and possibly other asbestos-related diseases. This risk may be the result of exposure to asbestos dust brought home on the clothing and hair of asbestos workers. To reduce the chance of exposing family members to asbestos fibers, asbestos workers are usually required to shower and change their clothing before leaving the workplace.

People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know. This booklet describes how research studies are carried out and explains their possible benefits and risks. The booklet is available by calling the CIS, or from the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://cancer.gov/publications  on the Internet.

Mesothelioma Lawsuit is the best way to find information about Mesothelioma resources.

This web page takes the legwork out of finding great Mesothelioma resources. We have compiled great links to Mesothelioma information and pages dedicated to Asbestos Disposal here. . .

To your right you will find links to various
Mesothelioma related pages. There you will find great information about Asbestos Disposal.

We've taken the time to check out each and every featured Mesothelioma website to make sure they are quality sites, with quality information.

Here you will find some of the best resources on Asbestos Disposal ever compiled and some incredible resources for Mesothelioma.

In our "Featured Mesothelioma Article" section, you'll find an article related to Mesothelioma.  We will be providing you with updated and new featured articles on a regular basis.

Additional Mesothelioma links

Action Asbestos Class Law Suit
Asbestos Attorney Dallas
Asbestos Attorney San Diego
Asbestos Cancer
Asbestos Cancer Effect Lung Smoking Synergistic
Asbestos Cleveland Craig Lawyer Plaintiff
Asbestos In Floor Tile
Asbestos Law
Asbestos Lawsuit Mesothelioma Statistics
Asbestos Management
Asbestos Mesothelioma National Statistics Update Us
Asbestos Regulation Uk
Asbestos Removal Uk
Asbestosis Claim
Asbestosis Picture
Attorney Austin Benign Mesothelioma
Attorney For Asbestosis
Cancer Esophageal Mesothelioma
Delaware Mesothelioma Attorney
Desmoplastic Malignant Mesothelioma
Diffuse Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Epithelial Malignant Mesothelioma
Kentucky Mesothelioma Attorney
Mesothelioma Lawyer Southern California
Mesothelioma Treatment Colorado
Multicystic Papillary Deciduoid Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Sarasota County Mesothelioma Lawyer
South Dakota Mesothelioma Lawyer
Utah Mesothelioma Attorney
Wisconsin Mesothelioma Attorney

Mesothelioma

What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

Mesothelioma - Emerging Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma - Photodynamic Therapy - Part 1

New approach to treating Mesothelioma cancer based on using light to kill cancer cells; more Mesothelioma treatment options to follow.

Because Mesothelioma is a newly publicized disease, many doctors may have a hard time diagnosing and treating it. Depending on the stage of the disease, the most common treatments are surgical removal of the affected tissues, chemotherapy, or radiation.

There is some concern that research into Mesothelioma will be minimal, because it is projected to be a short-lived disease in terms of new cases after the next 30 years. However, new research is consistently providing physicians with alternate forms of therapy, and there are many intense studies into control and cure of the disease, so those diagnosed with Mesothelioma do have many options and a lot of hope.

Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers - Part 6b

If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples. If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a peritoneoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.

If the diagnosis is Mesothelioma, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. Staging involves more tests in a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.

Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

Here are some Additional
Mesothelioma Resources

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... and disposal of wastes containing friable asbestos are ... inactive disposal sites, and asbestos conversion ... designated asbestos disposal area. ...
Asbestos Waste Disposal. reviewed/revised ... friable asbestos is accepted for disposal by many land ... accept any asbestos-containing materials for disposal. ...
Used Tire Disposal. Asbestos Disposal. Recycling Division General Information ... Asbestos Waste Disposal Policy ... of bringing asbestos waste for disposal ...
The "Homeowner's Guide for the Disposal of Asbestos" is issued by the CMCMUA to ... asbestos packaging and disposal procedures ... Prior to Asbestos Disposal ...
Asbestos Abatement and Disposal in Idaho ... For more information about asbestos abatement and disposal in Idaho at Tier I ...
 

Today's News Related To Mesothelioma


  

   
 

Featured Mesothelioma Articles

Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers - Part 8b

The clinical trials page for Mesothelioma on the NCI's http://www.cancer.gov/  Web site, located at http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials  on the Internet, provides general information about clinical trials and links to PDQ.

People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know. This booklet describes how research studies are carried out and explains their possible benefits and risks. The booklet is available by calling the CIS, or from the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/ publications on the Internet.

Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which occurs in the lining of the lung (the pleura) or in the abdomen (the peritoneum). In very rare cases, mesothelioma can occur in other areas of the body as well. The major known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Although science is not certain as to the exact mechanism which causes mesothelioma, it is thought that the asbestos fibers puncture the parenchyma, become lodged in the pleura, and by process of irritation create the change in the cells which causes the mesothelioma.

The chance of recovery for a person with mesothelioma depends on several factors, including:

  • Size of the cancer
  • Location of the cancer
  • Spread of the cancer throughout the body
  • Response to treatment
  • Appearance of the cells under a microscope
  • Age of the patient

Mesothelioma - Lung Cancer Link - Part 3

Konstantin Chumakov of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, says that Carbone's findings leave many unanswered questions. For example, he said it is not clear from the labeling of the samples found at the NIBSC exactly when they were used in the Soviet Union or for how long. Chumakov, whose father was director of the Soviet Institute of Poliomyelitis Research during the time of the contamination, says he was told that at one point the Soviet Union was supplying more than 100 countries with its vaccine.

He traveled to Moscow in April 2004 to try to learn more about the production and testing of the Soviet vaccine. But he found no more vaccine samples from that era, and very little surviving documentation about specific batches and why they might have been contaminated. "It's hard to explain how it happened," he says, "but it obviously did."