FAQ's

Many people have never heard of Mesothelioma and are unaware of its symptoms. Although considered a rare form of cancer, each year the number of cases grows. With the prevalence of this disease on the rise, it is critical to understand why and how Mesothelioma develops and what courses of action can be taken in the event of diagnosis. The following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers that will provide you with some information on Mesothelioma, and the legal issues surrounding it.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is the term used to describe a cancerous tumor found in the mesothelial cells of an organ. The organs where this form of cancer is most commonly found are the lungs, heart and abdominal organs. Pleural Mesothelioma is cancer of the lung lining and is the most common form of Mesothelioma.

What causes Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is often found in building materials used before the mid 1970’s. In addition, materials such as pipes, boiler insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles may contain asbestos.

How much asbestos exposure will cause Mesothelioma?

Generally, the probability of developing this form of cancer is in accordance with the length of time you are exposed to asbestos. Also, your health is at risk if your exposure to asbestos is intense. It should be noted that Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years. This means that you may develop the disease long after your exposure to asbestos. On average, people tend to develop Mesothelioma somewhere between 35 and 40 years after exposure.

How quickly does Mesothelioma progress?

The onset of Mesothelioma is quite slow. Patients will begin to experience symptoms such as lower back pain and chest pain. These symptoms may also be accompanied by weight loss, fever and difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, once Mesothelioma develops, it quickly becomes aggressive and treatment must be sought immediately.

Can Mesothelioma be treated?

Doctors are able to use several traditional methods of cancer treatment for Mesothelioma, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Like all forms of cancer, detecting the disease at the earliest stage possible greatly increases the patient’s chances for survival. If you have worked in an industry such as construction or suspect that you may have been exposed to asbestos, be alert for symptoms and contact your doctor immediately.

What legal courses of action can be taken?

Anyone suffering from Mesothelioma is entitled to compensation from asbestos manufacturers. Additionally, if you are the spouse or child of someone who has died from Mesothelioma, you are entitled to file a claim and seek compensation.

Mesothelioma Attorney

It is a long and difficult path to fight a disease no matter what type it may be. Mesothelioma is no different. It becomes even more difficult and draining to try and find a good mesothelioma attorney who can help you.

So what is mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer. It is caused by a long direct exposure to asbestos and it affects the sac lining in the chest. Most people who have mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos without knowing it. In the years when asbestos contact was common, many people did not know the risks and dangers involved, so employees of companies were put at risk without any warning or protection. This article will try and help those in need and make the decision process for finding a good mesothelioma attorney a little easier.

The first thing you should do is find out all you can about mesothelioma. While it is the attorneys job to have knowledge about the disease, having a complete understanding of it yourself will allow you to make a better decision when deciding which attorney to use. You will be able to judge their knowledge better. You want to get an attorney who really understands the disease, its causes, and most certainly it effects. If you go with a mesothelioma attorney who does not have an extensive knowledge, then you are putting your entire case in the hands of someone who you hope will do their research. This is a dangerous game to play when it will decide how much money comes out of your pocket for legal fees.

You have the resources, so use them. Looking up information in a phone book can narrow you search to a local attorney. Using the internet will provide a plethora of mesothelioma attorneys. You want to search for "mesothelioma attorney" to really narrow down the search for one. Then you can do some more research on their firm's name or the lawyer's name. You want to have numerous attorneys at your fingertips. The more choices, the better. This way you can contact them all, ask as many questions as you possibly can, and get a good feel for who seems more fit to handle your case.

Before making any decision, make sure you understand the terms. If you are going to sign anything, then make sure you read the fine print. The last thing you want to do is end up paying way more than you originally thought, especially if you lose the case. There are many mesothelioma attorneys out there who actually will not ask for money unless the case is won. In these cases they usually ask for a percentage of the amount you receive for winning the case. Know and understand the terms each attorney is asking for.

Ask your friends and co-workers if they know any good attorneys. Each one is worth checking out. Also, the people you know or are close to you will want to help you, so they will not recommend someone who is not top notch. In general, people like to help others, so take advantage of the situation.

The amount you receive in a case is certainly not a fixed amount. Depending on the circumstances, the amount can certainly vary. However, in past cases, some amounts granted have been quite large. Find a mesothelioma attorney as quick as possible. There is a one to two year limitation on when you can file a lawsuit from the date mesothelioma was diagnosed. Also, these procedures for filling a lawsuit can take quite some time, so it is best to find an attorney as soon as you possibly can.

Asbestos & Mesothelioma Lawyers

Before asbestos was found to be a potential cause for cancer, it was seen as a great building material. Therefore it was used a lot, and both workers who installed it and employees who worked in these buildings were unknowingly exposed to a cancerous element. These people are only now seeing the effects of their exposure to asbestos, and are bringing cases against the companies that either installed it or owned the buildings. The cases are increasing, causing a need for a specialized brand of lawyer - the mesothelioma lawyer.

Some types of asbestos that can cause cancer:

• Amosite
• Anthophyllite
• Chrysotile
• Crocidolite

Mesothelioma Lawyers and the Courtroom

Though has not yet been definitively proven that asbestos cause Mesothelioma, many studies have been done to prove a link between the two... enough studies to make mesothelioma lawyers very busy. The asbestos is made of loosely bonded fibers, which can easily be separated. These fibers can float in the air and easily get into your respiratory system. Before these studies, when asbestos was used as a common material, no one suggested the need for proper safety procedures - a fact that mesothelioma lawyers point to as a reason their clients now have this form of cancer.

Mesothelioma Lawyer

Mesothelioma lawyers deal specifically with cases concerning people being exposed to asbestos in the work environment. Asbestos was used as a building material years ago because it was not flammable and did not conduct electricity. However, later studies have shown it can cause some forms of cancer. Mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects the inner lining of the chest, is one of those forms of cancer. Because asbestos was a common building material and is still found, there has been a call for mesothelioma lawyers to look into cases of people who were exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with this form of cancer.Mesothelioma lawyers deal specifically with cases concerning people being exposed to asbestos in the work environment. Because asbestos was a common building material and is still found, there has been a call for mesothelioma lawyers to look into cases of people who were exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with this form of cancer.

Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma treatment options depend on many internal factors such as: stage, location, and the patient’s age and desires. Important external factors to consider include the experience level of the oncologist with mesothelioma cases and whether or not a rural dweller would have to be transferred to a larger city for aggressive treatment or palliative care.

Patient survival rate is determined to be up to a year; while some leading cancer centers have reported life expectancy after diagnosis to be as much as five more years.

Screening

Imaging tests allow doctors to see a picture of the cancer site. These tests could include x-rays, CT scans (computed tomography), or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

New Screening Instrument: The Mesomark Test

The Food and Drug administration has just approved (January 2007) the world's first in-vitro test for mesothelioma. The Mesomark assay test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics is administered to patients diagnosed with biphasic or epithelioid mesothelioma by a simple blood test. The test measures proteins within the blood that reflect changes in the patient's tumor volume, a key factor for monitoring patient status and response to therapies.

Traditional Treatment Types

Surgery, removal of the entire lung and a part of the chest lining, the diaphragm and part of the sac surrounding the heart.

Thoracoscopy is the insertion of an endoscope which is a small narrow tube, containing a tiny cameria into the pleural cavity to look directly at the tumor. Pathologist’s perform a biopsy to collect a tissue. Often, chemical pleurodesis (draining fluid in the intrapleural space), can be accomplished during the same procedure.

Mediastinoscopy, another type of surgical incision is sometimes used to stage the extent of disease when enlarged nodes are seen using imaging techniques.

Laproscopy is used in mesothelioma patients when imaging techniques suggest that the tumor has penetrated through the diaphragm. This information is important in evaluating a patient for potential pleurectomy or extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Radiation Therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.

Radiation - Although mesothelioma tumors are highly resistant to radiotherapy, these treatments are sometimes used to relieve symptoms arising from tumor growth, such as obstruction of a major blood vessel.

Radiotherapy is commonly applied to the sites of chest drain insertion, in order to prevent the growth of the tumor along the track in the chest wall.

Chemotherapy – is used to stop the cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Immunotherapy: Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy requires the removal as much of the tumor as possible followed by the direct administration of a heated between (40 and 48°C) chemotherapy agent, into the abdomen for 60 to 120 minutes and then drained.

Palliative Procedures

Pleuroperitoneal Shunt is a procedure where a catheter is placed under the skin from the pleural to the peritoneal cavity. This procedure raising concerns as the catheter can cause damage by embedding itself into the abdomen.

Pleurectomy, a palliative procedure, may be performed when more extensive surgery is not an option. The procedure does not effectively remove all tumors. It is considered the most effective means of controlling pleural effusion (fluid buildup) in cases where the lung's expansion is restricted by the mesothelioma.

Potentially Curative Procedures

These procedures are performed with "curative intent".

Pleurectomy/Decortication is usually performed on patients with early stage pleural mesothelioma disease (Stage I and selected Stage II), and attempts to remove all gross tumor.

Extrapleural Pneumonectomy is surgery to remove a diseased lung, part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm and part of the parietal pleura. This type of surgery is used most often to treat malignant mesothelioma and is combined with traditional chemotherapy and/or radiation, gene therapy, immunotherapy or photodynamic therapy.

Cytoreductive Surgery removes visible tumors in the peritoneal cavity. The remaining cancer cells are treated by Intra-Peritoneal Hyperthermic (heated) Chemotherapy (IPHC) and then delivered to the abdominal cavity.

New or Experimental Therapies

Gene Therapy: The best known tumor suppressor gene is called p53. If this gene is damaged or non existent oncogenes or cancer genes multiply at an abnormal rate. The main focus of gene therapy for mesothelioma involves injecting a virus that has been modified in the laboratory. The virus is injected into the pleural space in the chest, where mesothelioma develops as an attempt to kill the cancer cells.

Drug or Vaccine Therapy

Patients with mesothelioma have much higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) a chemical controlling blood vessel than people with any other type of cancer. Trials are being conducted to see if VEGF can be blocked, thus stopping the growth of blood vessels feeding the mesothelioma tumors.

Bevacizumab is a drug vaccine currently in use. One trial recently reported that this drug may increase survival for patients with lung cancer. An American phase 2 trial tested bevacizumab for mesothelioma, in combination with chemotherapy drugs. Bevacizumab is still in the experimental phase and much larger trials are needed before we will know how effective it will be in treating mesothelioma and other types of cancers.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

In Photodynamic therapy a drug called a photosensitizing agent is injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by the body's cells rendering the cells sensitive to light. When the area to be treated is exposed to laser light, the cells are killed. PDT has to be combined with surgery to treat patients in the early stages of mesothelioma. PDT is still in the trial stages and very experimental.

Clinical Trials and Eligibility

Clinical Trials provide research by using a sampling of people affected by the cancer. The National Cancer Institute states that the purpose of most listed clinical trials is to test new cancer treatments or new methods of diagnosing, screening for or preventing cancer.

Eligibility requirements for clinical trials are not the same; each study has specific guidelines for participation. Some trials allow participation after other treatments have failed, while others require that the patient did not have prior treatment. Choosing a clinical test should only be done after a medical consultation.

Prevention trials - study ways to reduce the risk, or chance, of developing cancer. Most prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer. These trials use drugs, vitamins or diet to reduce risk of cancer. Some trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and want to prevent the return of cancer (recurrence), or reduce the chance of developing a new type of cancer.

Screening Trials - study ways to detect cancer. They are often conducted to determine whether finding cancer before it causes symptoms decreases the chance of dying from the disease. These trials involve people who do not have any symptoms of cancer.

Diagnostic Cancer Trials - develops new tests or scans

Treatment Trials – studies new drugs or combinations of drugs; new ways of giving treatment, and new types of treatment

Quality of life trials explore ways to improve the comfort and quality of life of cancer patients and cancer survivors. These trials may study ways to help people who are experiencing nausea, vomiting, sleep disorders, depression, or other effects from cancer or its treatment.

Genetics Study Trials - are sometimes part of another cancer clinical trial. The genetics component of the trial may focus on how genetic makeup can affect detection, diagnosis, or response to cancer treatment.

Clinical trials are conducted in 4 phases:

Phase 1 trials look at whether a trial treatment drug is safe or has any harmful effects and attempts to establish the right dosage required.

Phase 2 trials look at the effectiveness of the treatment.

Phase 3 trials test a new treatment against the existing standard treatment. If it yields better results, it may become the new standard treatment.

Phase 4 trials are carried out after a drug has been licensed. They collect information about side effects, safety and the long term risks and benefits of a drug.

Ongoing research attempts to improve mesothelioma treatment options but clinical trials will not all result in new and better treatment. After testing, it may be discovered that the treatment being tested does not work, or that it has worse side affects than existing treatments. But, to researchers and doctors, and in the end for patients, it is crucial to keep this research going.

Types of Malignant Mesothelioma

There are several types of malignant mesothelioma,

Pleural Mesothelioma, or cancer of the lung lining, may cause shortness of breath, fluid build-up, chest pain, hoarseness, coughing up blood, muscle weakness, paralysis, sensory loss and swelling of the face and arms. There are two types of surgeries that are commonly performed to cure this disease, both of which involve removing portions of the lungs. The first operation is called a pleurectomy/decortication, which involves the removal of part of the lung lining in order to remove the tumor. The second surgery is called an extrapleural pneumonectomy. During this particular surgery, the lining, diaphragm, pericardium, and the whole lung may be removed in order to completely remove the tumor.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma, or cancer of the abdominal lining, can cause stomach pain, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, hernia, fluid in the abdominal cavity or a mass in the abdomen. A surgery known as a laparotomy may be performed during which the doctor will open up the abdomen to remove the entire tumor.

Pericardial Mesothelioma, or cancer of the heart lining, is very rare, but can cause shortness of breath and chest pain. A surgery called an extrapleural pneumonectomy can be preformed to remove the tumor.

With all Pericardial, Peritoneal and Pleural Mesothelioma, radiation treatments and chemotheraphy are also options. Today, the government has strict laws limiting and prohibiting the use of asbestos in building products. Removal of asbestos products from existing buildings is also heavily regulated.

Mesothelioma

Mesolthelioma is a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, often used to make insulation in homes, schools and other buildings. This disease attacks the lining of the heart, lungs and abdomen.

Since asbestos can be found in basic building materials, those at risk for mesolthelioma are largely, but not limited to, construction workers who built our buildings through the seventies. The danger of using this natural occuring mineral was either unkonwn or ignored by health officals. One danger of the disease is that the symptoms are similar to those of general aging, and many people tend to ignore them until more severe, and potentially fatal symptoms occur.