Mesothelioma: Silence in Detection Requires the Need for Immediate Attention  

Mesothelioma is one of the most serious forms of cancer that results from exposure to asbestos. It is a common form of cancer among construction workers, roofers, cement workers, plumbers, pipefitters, insulators, furnace workers, power plant workers, oil refinery workers, miners, processing plant workers, manufacturing plant workers, railroad workers, shipyard and submarine veterans of war. Others that may be affected by mesothelioma include family members of workers and people who live near sites that release asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma affects up to 3,000 people per year and may be undetected for up to 50 years after contraction of the cancer.

Mesothelioma: The Silent Cancer  Mesothelioma may be difficult to detect. In fact, many cases are confused with other forms of cancer until the disease has fully progressed. As Todd Kelly, Attorney at Law of Houston, Texas explains, “Don’t be own oncologist! Receive your medical information from a doctor, not a lawyer.” People with mesothelioma may not have any symptoms or the initial symptoms may be vague, including: weight loss,  fever , night sweats ,  cough, breathing difficulty,  chest pain,  swelling of the abdomen,         bowel obstruction,  blood clotting abnormalities,  anemia, a lowered red blood cell count,  fluid accumulation in the abdomen. Mesothelioma affects the body’s mesothelium which includes visceral membranes that surround organs in the body and a parietal membrane that consists of a sac that encompasses the visceral membranes. Under normal circumstances, the mesothelium serves to protect the organs and help organs move freely around other organs and body structures when performing activities such as breathing involving the movement of the chest wall and lungs. People may have one or more areas of the body affected by mesothelioma and the cancer can spread over time, as follows:·

Peritoneum Mesothelioma: Abdomen or Stomach Lining

Pleural Mesothelioma: Lung Lining

Pericardium Mesothelioma: Heart Lining

The prognosis can be positive when mesothelioma is diagnosed at a very early stage. However, this type of cancer is not usually detected until a later stage. Many people are misdiagnosed with other forms of cancer at the onset and at mid-stage.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma may be diagnosed through a variety of tests, including: Chest X-Ray, CAT Scan, MRI, and biopsy through laparotomy, thoracoscopy, mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy. Some personal injury attorneys that focus on mesothelioma may be familiar with doctors and clinical trials that are being conducted for victims of mesothelioma. For a list of physicians focusing on mesothelioma, consider visiting http://www.mesothelioma.net/MesotheliomaPhysicians.htm

Mesothelioma Treatment

There are a variety of treatment options available for mesothelioma. Several of those in clinical trial appear to hold great promise. As Marlowe G. Tolbertson, Mesothelioma victim explains, “I encourage mesothelioma victims to continue in depth research about clinical trial projects and seek out the best doctors available to provide their treatment. The right attorney can also help with every aspect of managing the disease.” Marlowe G. Tolbertson was admitted into a clinical trial at the request of his mesothelioma lawyer. Treatment for mesothelioma includes:  Chemotherapy  Radiation, Photodynamic Therapy, Gene Therapy,  Immunotherapy, Palliative Surgery, to provide symptomatic relief . Curative Surgery may be effective at early stage diagnosis, including Thoracotomy. Listings for clinical trials can be found at: http://www.mesothelioma-lung-cancer.org/mesothelioma-clinical-trial.html

Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Personal injury attorneys that handle mesothelioma lawsuits are often dedicated specifically to mesothelioma. This is because of the injured party’s need for urgent medical attention due to the probability of a late stage diagnosis as well as the extensive investigative research that must go into to every case by the personal injury attorney. Lawsuits involving mesothelioma must demonstrate recalls or links to asbestos products that produce mesothelioma, defendant specific information about the use of the product(s), career path of injured party, and research information about all asbestos related products used by the injured party through the span of their lifetime. On a positive note, the laws allow fast tracking for mesothelioma cases so such lawsuits can be brought to fruition within a year due to critical timely needs for the inured party and their family members.  As Steve Kazen, Attorney at Law of Oakland, California, “Mesothelioma victims must be very proactive and investigative about their care from both a medical and legal prospective. The Internet can be a valuable resource for information. Yet, victims must be careful about how they use the Internet. There are a number of reputable advanced treatment centers in the US, but a moderate number of physicians that understand mesothelioma. There are also a great number of attorneys that advertise on the Internet, those that appear as non-profit organizations, and other types of professionals that may accept mesothelioma legal cases, but may hand off a mesothelioma case to another attorney while still taking a retainer which results in the new attorney’s inability to properly investigate and serve the case.”   

Tags: Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, personal injury, Product Liability

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 pm and is filed under Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Personal Injury Lawsuit, Product Liability Lawsuit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.