Lung mesothelioma, and
sometimes referred to as mesothelioma disease, is a rare but deadly form
of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. On average, between 2,000 and 3,000
new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, most often in Caucasian
males in the 60-80 age groups. However, anyone who comes in contact with
airborne asbestos fibers can be at risk of becoming a mesothelioma victim. The
disease takes many years to develop, and although it can be treated to some
extent, it is not curable.
Though mesothelioma cancer can
form in parts of the body, the disease tends to affect two vital areas: the
cardiovascular system and the abdominal organs. Mesothelioma tumors form in the
sacs surrounding the lungs, heart, and abdominal wall because the asbestos
fibers that cause them are either inhaled or swallowed. Lung (pleural)
mesothelioma is the most commonly diagnosed form of asbestos cancer.
If you or a loved one
developed lung mesothelioma, you may be entitled to a significant amount of compensation. Over
$30 million is available right now in trust funds set
up for people who developed illnesses from exposure to asbestos due to the negligence
of another party. Contact us today so we can help get the
compensation you’re rightfully entitled to.
History of Mesothelioma Disease
The widespread use of
fibrous asbestos minerals may have had its benefits as a fire retardant and
heat-resistant material, but its presence in millions of homes and workplaces
has its darker side. As early as the 1890s, physicians in Great Britain began
reporting that workers exposed to asbestos in jobsites were contracting
respiratory illnesses and cancers. These early indications that asbestos were a
serious health risk to humans were dismissed by the asbestos mining industry at
first. When more evidence linking asbestos exposure to
lung cancer and asbestosis surfaced in the 1920s, the asbestos industry
ruthlessly suppressed it. Even when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) investigated the causal relationship between asbestos and a rare cancer
called mesothelioma in the 1970s, the industry continued to stonewall and deny
that asbestos was dangerous.
As a result of the
asbestos industry’s reckless suppression of medical data which supported many
claims that its product was dangerous, millions of jobsites, public buildings,
private homes, and even vehicles now contain asbestos. Although asbestos isn’t
currently used in new construction or in modern ships, planes, and planes, it’s
still present in structures or vehicles manufactured in the U.S. during World
War II and the early Cold War era.
Consequently, almost
anyone in the U.S. can be exposed to asbestos fibers. Any activity that
involves tearing down of walls, sawing old metal pipes, or removing worn out
insulation stirs up the fibrous dust. Once asbestos fibers are in the air, they
can be breathed in or swallowed by the unwary. These fibers lodge in the lining
of the lungs or abdominal organs and cause irritation in the tissue. Over time,
these irritations can mutate into tumors which cause lung mesothelioma. This
process, however, takes many years and is hard to detect. A mesothelioma victim
is often diagnosed 20, 30, even 50 years after initial exposure. By the time a
doctor realizes that the patient has mesothelioma, it is sometimes too late to
provide effective treatment.
About Lung Mesothelioma
The type of
mesothelioma which affects the lungs is known as pleural mesothelioma, though
it can also be referred to as lung mesothelioma. Currently, it is the most
common type of mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma begins when someone breathes
in asbestos fibers, typically at a worksite, in an older public facility, or in
a private residence. The asbestos fibers then find their way into the body’s
pleural lining and cause irritation in the tissue. Eventually, the irritated
tissue’s cells can mutate into cancerous growths.
Over time, the tumors
that form in the pleural lining interfere with the lungs’ ability to expand and
constrict properly. This makes breathing difficult and often painful. As the
tumors grow and spread, the pain and difficulty in breathing increase
accordingly. Unfortunately, the slow development of mesothelium in human tissue
is protracted and the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma resemble those of common
respiratory illnesses.
Symptoms and Signs of Pleural (Lung) Mesothelioma
One of the factors
that make the disease difficult to detect is that symptoms of mesothelioma
usually do not show up until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms are what a patient feels, while signs are the outward manifestations
of a disease that doctors and other people notice. Often, lung (pleural) mesothelioma symptoms and
signs mimic those of common respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia. These
include:
·
Shortness of breath
·
Pain beneath the rib cage
·
Coughing, which can sometimes be painful
·
Fatigue or anemia
·
Unexpected and mysterious loss of weight
·
Buildup of fluid around the lung (pleural effusion)
·
Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
·
Wheezing, hoarseness, or chronic cough
·
In severe cases, a patient may develop multiple tumors in the
pleural sac. Some patients can also suffer from a collapsed lung
(pneumothorax). Mesothelioma can also metastasize beyond the affected lung and
attack either the other lung or additional organs. Other organs that can be
affected are the pericardial sac, the lining which surrounds the heart and the
chest wall.
Treatment Options
There are three major mesothelioma
treatment options: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. None
of them cure the cancer, but they can add months, even years, to a mesothelioma
patient’s life. Surgery is the most invasive procedure to treat lung
mesothelioma. For pleural mesothelioma, a surgeon cuts through the ribs in
order to reach the affected areas. There are currently two types of surgical
procedures: pleurectomy/decortication (the removal of the pleural lining), and
the more radical extrapleural pneumonectomy (surgical resection of the affected
lung and the surrounding parietal and visceral pleura). In both cases, surgeons
may take out either part of or the complete diaphragm and the pericardial sac.
In addition, one or more ribs are removed from the patient’s body as a result
of these procedures.
Chemotherapy is less
invasive than surgery and aids in reducing the size of mesothelioma tumors in
the pleural lining. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs that attack or kill cells
that divide quickly, like cancer cells. When used in tandem with surgery or
radiation treatments, the procedure is called “combined modality treatment.”
Chemotherapy kills cancers with some degree of success, but it also attacks
healthy cells that divide quickly, such as hair follicles, blood cells or cells
found in the digestive system. This causes adverse side effects that include
hair loss, suppression of the immune system, and nausea. Doctors use
chemotherapy to reduce the size of tumors on the pleural lining and relieve the
pressure on the affected lung. However, chemotherapy does not cure
mesothelioma; it only helps to relieve some of the symptoms and extend a
patient’s life expectancy.
Radiation, when
applied in conjunction with extra pleural pneumonectomy surgery, can be an
effective form of treatment for mesothelioma. Radiation involves the killing of
cancer cells with doses of high energy rays. This treatment is used exclusively
in cases of pleural mesothelioma, and can be used either to prevent cancer from
returning or to slow down the cancer’s progress in cases where surgery is not a
viable option. Targeted radiation treatments also help to relieve a patient’s
pain.
It is important to
note that while these treatments control the spread of asbestos related cancer
in the pleural region, there is currently no cure for mesothelioma in any of
its varieties.
Getting Help
If you’ve been
diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma or an
asbestos-related disease, our leading mesothelioma law firm will
be able to assist you and obtain for you all the financial compensation you’re
entitled to. Get the process started today by filling out our form for your
free, no obligation case consultation.
For more information,
including details on mesothelioma lawsuits,
medical treatment options, and more, fill out our form to receive your free Mesothelioma
and Asbestos Guide.
Source http://www.mesotheliomalawyercenter.org/lung-mesothelioma-disease/
Source http://www.mesotheliomalawyercenter.org/lung-mesothelioma-disease/
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