Some lawyers specialize in mesothelioma-related cases. Corporate negligence has caused many people to be exposed to asbestos, and tragically some people have developed malignant mesothelioma. These people have legal rights and there are many lawyers working hard to help these folks get some kind of compensation.
Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon, but no longer rare, cancer that is difficult to diagnose and poorly responsive to therapy. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. Virtually all cases of malignant mesothelioma
What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?
The main risk factor for mesothelioma is contact with asbestos. In the past, asbestos was used for insulation because it does not conduct heat well and doesn’t easily melt or burn. It was also used in other products such as floor tiles, door gaskets, roofing, and patching compounds.
If asbestos fibers are breathed in, they travel to the ends of the small air passages and reach the lining of the lungs. There they can damage the mesothelial cells or the lining of the lung cells. If swallowed, these fibers can also reach the lining of the abdominal cavity where they play a part in causing a cancer called peritoneal mesothelioma. As the link between asbestos and cancer has become well known, use of this material has decreased. All use stopped after 1989.
The following may increase chances of developing mesothelioma:
- Radiation - There have been a few published reports of pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas that developed following exposure to thorium dioxide (Thorotrast).
- Zeolite - This is a silicate mineral, chemically related to asbestos, common in the soil of the Anatoli region of Turkey. Many cases of mesothelioma have been described in this region and may have been caused by this mineral.
- Tobacco Smoking - the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure also greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.
- SV40 Virus - Some recent studies have raised the possibility that infection with simian virus 40 (SV40) might increase a person's risk of developing mesothelioma.
What are some ways to try to prevent mesothelioma?
- Avoid exposure to asbestos
- Eat Healthy
- Exercise
What are some ways to detect mesothelioma?
- Chest X-Ray
- CT Scan
- MRI
- Thoracoscopy - A thoracoscope (telescope-like instrument connected to a video camera) is inserted through a small incision into the chest. Your doctor can see the tumor through the thoracoscope, and can use special forceps to take a tissue biopsy
- Bronchoscopy - In this procedure a flexible lighted tube is inserted through your mouth, down the trachea, and into the bronchi to see if there are other masses in the airway. Small samples of abnormal-appearing tissue can be removed for testing.
- Mediastinoscopy - A lighted tube is inserted under the sternum (chest bone) at the level of the neck and moved down into the chest allowing the surgeon to view the lymph nodes in this area and remove samples to check for cancer.
