Mesothelioma facts
Mesothelioma is type of cancer which is relatively rare and affects about 1 in a million. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.
Smoking is not known as a cause of mesothelioma itself, but it can increase the risk of the disease alongside asbestos exposure. The usual cause of the disease is breathing in the dust of asbestos. This can happen while working or indirectly such as while doing the laundry of a person who works with the chemical.
The symptoms of this disease are many and varied. They might include breathing difficulties due to build-up of fluid in the lungs, as well as fever, loss of weight and pain in the chest, abdomen or even head and neck. The symptoms might not appear for many decades after the exposure to asbestos. Diagnosis is sometimes supported by chest X-ray or CT scan, and can be confirmed by examination of a small piece of the affected tissue (called a biopsy).
Recovery from mesothelioma is rare, with median survival of about nine months from when the disease presents. The survival rate for 5 years is only about ten percent, but some people occasionally live more than 20 years with the disease. Radiation therapy on its own does not have much of an effect, but a combination of radical surgery followed by radiation and chemo treatments is somewhat effective.
Most people who get the disease are dead within 18 months from knowing they have it. This is due to the challenges in having a clear diagnosis rather than the progression rate of the disease. Treatment for the disease can sometimes total 800,000 dollars.
Mesothelioma litigation began in 1929. Over half a million asbestos claims have been filed. Workers in the ship building and repairing industries have the highest mortality rate from Mesothelioma, and as such are the most likely to seek an asbestos settlement. The amounts received from mesothelioma claims can be considerable so there are specialist asbestos lawyers and asbestos attorneys.
The prognosis for the disease is typically not good, even given the currently available treatments.
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