Did You Know?
The total cost of resolving asbestos claims has already reached $54 billion, and could rise to as much as $260 billion, according to the Rand Institute for Civil Justice. Asbestos Exposure is Responsible for 90,000 Deaths Annually

Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma cancer is a rare form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma cancer comes from inhaling or digesting asbestos dust particles. Mesothelioma cancer affects the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, and the region surrounding the heart.

Mesothelioma cancer is a life-threatening disease and should not be left untreated. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

Mesothelioma cancer occurs in the mesothelium, a thin layer of tissue that covers your internal organs. The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. There are two layers of cells in the mesothelium; one layer surrounds the organs; the other layer forms a sac around the organs.

Mesothelioma cancer is most common in the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma cancer have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways, such as by washing clothes of a family member who worked around asbestos.

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER TYPES

Mesothelioma cancer can attack the pleural lining around the lungs. It can also attack the peritoneum, a tissue that surrounds the GI tract.

Mesothelioma can attack the stomach lining, other internal organs, or even the pericardium (the tissue sac covering the heart). Thus, mesothelioma can be generally classified into the following types:

• Pleural — 75% of all mesothelioma cases
• Peritoneal — 10%–20%
• Pericardial — 5%

Mesothelioma Cancer Cell Types

• Epithelioid — most common, best survival rate
• Sarcomatoid — most severe, but more rare
• Mixed/biphasic — a mixture of epithelioid and sarcomatoid cancer

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER EXPOSURE

The National Institute of Health in 1978 estimated that eight to eleven million U.S. workers had been exposed to asbestos by that date. In fact, by 1970, it is estimated that some 25 million tons of asbestos were used in the U.S.

People all over the world have been poisoned by toxic levels of asbestos, putting them at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases that are directly caused by the inhalation and digesting of asbestos fibers.

Asbestos was used in thousands of products that humans and animals encounter on a daily basis particularly in building components such as ceiling and floor tiles, walls, bricks and stucco, and in automotive parts such as brakes and clutches.

Workers who have mesothelioma have labored for years in jobs that required frequent contact with asbestos. When asbestos is mined, processed, woven, sprayed or otherwise manipulated, its microscopic fibers can be released into the air, where they may be inhaled, initiating the development of mesothelioma.

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER SYMPTOMS

Mesothelioma cancer symptoms include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss

Mesothelioma Cancer Signs and Symptoms:

• abdominal pain
• bowel function problems
• chest wall pain
•  weight loss
• pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
• shortness of breath
• fatigue or anemia
• wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
• blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

Mesothelioma Cancer Signs and Symptoms in Severe Cases:

• blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
• disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
• jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• low blood sugar level
• pleural effusion
• pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs

MESORHELIOMA CANCER AND SMOKING

Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and asbestos cancer and smoking.

Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma and asbestos. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the lungs.

The Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters for the first few years of production in the 1950s and some cases of mesothelioma and asbestos have resulted. Smoking modern cigarettes does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma and asbestos.

The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the airways (lung cancer, bronchial carcinoma).

If you do smoke, stop. In addition to mesothelioma and asbestosis, there is research that indicates that those who suffer from asbestos exposure and smoke are at a greatly increased risk of developing mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer.

Connecting you with Mesothelioma Lawyers Nationwide!

This site is dedicated to providing important information on asbestos & mesothelioma cancers. We help mesothelioma patients and families make educated decisions about how to proceed with filing asbestos and mesothelioma claims. Those dealing with asbestos cancers face a number of challenges, including the tremendous costs of treatment. If you were unknowingly exposed to harmful levels of asbestos, you have legal rights and there is compensation help available for you.

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER LAWYER – EXPERIENCE
 
Law firms that we work with concentrate only on asbestos and mesothelioma cases. We have experience placing people with experienced asbestos lawyers for five years. We will actually walk you the process of connecting you with an experienced asbestos lawyer in your state.

We help mesothelioma and asbestos patients and their families get in touch with legal and medical professionals.  We help keep the public aware of new discoveries in treatments for Mesothelioma and Asbestos cancers. We also maintain a current online Mesothelioma Dictionary of Legal & Medical Terms and we keep you up to date on current legal settlements for asbestos cases.

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER LAWYER - CHOICES

Deciding which mesothelioma lawyer to represent you and your case is very important. Choosing the right mesothelioma lawyer will also be important to your settlement. You are entitled to an experienced mesothelioma lawyer who has a track record of success in asbestos lawsuits

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER LAWYER - LOSS OF A LOVED ONE

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an mesothelioma or asbestos cancer, or a family member has died as a result, you may be entitled to recover compensation from the companies that made these asbestos products.

MESOTHELIOMA CANCER LAWYER – FILING A LAWSUIT

It is not uncommon for there to be 10-20 parties that are named in an asbestos lawsuit that are located across the United States. For example, a worker in California may have been exposed to asbestos from asbestos products shipped from Libby, Montana or from an iron ore plant in St. Paul Minnesota. This is why it is very important to obtain an experienced mesothelioma lawyer that knows all of the companies in each state who have responsibility for your asbestos exposure.

We have helped people with mesothelioma cancer for more than six years on the Internet. The Mesothelioma Help Center is designed to give you quick & simple answers about mesothelioma treatments, asbestos exposure, mesothelioma diagnosis, mesothelioma symptoms, mesothelioma doctors, and we can refer you to an experienced mesothelioma lawyer in who has successfully settled mesothelioma cases.