Asbestos manufacturers and distributors made a concerted effort to hide the dangers of asbestos from the public, while at the same time profiting heavily from the sale and manufacture of harmful asbestos products. Those suffering from Mesothelioma can seek compensation from the manufacturers of asbestos and asbestos-containing products by hiring a competent mesothelioma lawyer. When deciding whether or not you should pursue your legal rights as a mesothelioma victim, you should think about the following three things. First, asbestos manufacturers had knowledge of the dangers of asbestos and knowingly put hardworking men and women at risk. Second, treatment for mesothelioma can be very expensive. Third, by exercising your legal rights, you can protect your loved ones in the future.
Once you make the decision to pursue your rights, a competent asbestos attorney will maximize recovery from both viable and bankrupt asbestos defendants. Over 65 asbestos trusts have been established holding billions of dollars combined across them. These asbestos trust funds have been set aside to help compensate those workers who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer or other asbestos related diseases. The legal process to compensate mesothelioma victims is not overly burdensome and should be strongly considered to help offset treatment costs and to provide financial security for loved ones.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Types of Mesothelioma Treatment
If a patient’s diagnosis and health indicates that their response to curative treatment may be positive, their doctor may develop a course of treatment to remove the tumor(s) and attempt to prevent metastasis throughout the body. If the patient is dealing with a late-stage cancer, the treatment is more likely to be palliative in nature, addressing the symptoms while improving the patient’s quality of life. The following treatment options may be either palliative or curative, depending on the patient’s case:
Learn more about mesothelioma surgery
Learn more about chemotherapy for mesothelioma
Learn about the types of radiation therapy and how they work
While surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are considered the most common types of mesothelioma treatment, a number of new therapies are currently in development. Immunotherapy manipulates the patient’s immune system into attacking the tumors, while photodynamic therapy exposes cancer cells to photosensitizing drugs and specific lights. Gene therapy is another experimental treatment that attempts to correct defective genes that may lead to cancerous changes.
Multimodal therapy is one of the most common approaches to treating mesothelioma, combining two or more treatments that may be completed simultaneously or in a planned sequence. A mesothelioma specialist can most adequately analyze a patient’s condition and develop a treatment regimen that will best benefit the patient.
Learn how multimodal therapy works
Surgery
Surgery is one of the most common treatments for mesothelioma. Patients whose cancer was diagnosed before it spread beyond the lymph nodes may be eligible for curative surgery that removes the tumors. Depending upon the patient’s diagnosis and overall health, mesothelioma surgeries can be either curative or palliative, and may fall somewhere in between if surgery efforts are effective. Mesothelioma surgery is commonly followed by other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation in an attempt to kill any remaining cancer cells.Learn more about mesothelioma surgery
Mesothelioma Surgery Options
Pleural Surgeries
A portion of the lung is removed
Removal of entire affected lung
Removal of entire lung, linings of lungs, lining of heart, and part of the diaphragm
Removal of tumors and portions of pleura
Extraction of fluid and sealing of pleural space
Peritoneal Surgeries
Removal of fluid from abdominal cavity
Pericardial Surgeries
Removal of fluid from pericardial sac
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy has shown to be the most effective and least invasive form of treatment to extend life expectancy. Depending upon the location of the cancer, some patients may be eligible for heated chemotherapy, a treatment commonly used for cases of peritoneal mesothelioma. Cisplatin, the most commonly used chemotherapy drug for mesothelioma, is frequently used in conjunction with pemetrexed to achieve the most advantageous results in reducing tumors.Learn more about chemotherapy for mesothelioma
Radiation
Radiation therapy directly applies radiation to the cancerous locations. This is through either sealed or unsealed source radiation. Patients of all stages are eligible to receive radiation therapy, as it can be used in conjunction with other treatments to reduce tumor growth and ease symptoms.Learn about the types of radiation therapy and how they work
Emerging & Alternative Treatments
While surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are considered the most common types of mesothelioma treatment, a number of new therapies are currently in development. Immunotherapy manipulates the patient’s immune system into attacking the tumors, while photodynamic therapy exposes cancer cells to photosensitizing drugs and specific lights. Gene therapy is another experimental treatment that attempts to correct defective genes that may lead to cancerous changes.Multimodal Therapy
In a recent study, 46% of mesothelioma patients showed a 5-year survival rate following multimodal therapy
Learn how multimodal therapy works
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are used to test experimental treatments before they are approved for widespread clinical use. These trials often explore new procedures and drugs and compare them to the current standard of mesothelioma treatment.Alternative & Complimentary Treatments
When choosing a therapy plan, some patients consider alternative and complementary mesothelioma treatments. Alternative treatments refer to any unconventional treatment methods, and complementary treatments refer to an alternative therapy used to supplement one or more conventional treatments. A number of mesothelioma survivors credit their remission to alternative therapies.What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. Once a realatively obscure disease that meant little to the general public, mesothelioma is now known to be among the most aggressive and difficult to treat tumors oncologists yet have encountered.
Thanks to dedicated health professionals, like thoracic surgeon Dr. David Sugarbaker, as well as researchers and watchdog organizations, we're learning more and more about mesothelioma and how it can best be treated and managed. However, there's still far to go as both better efficacy in treatment and a cure for the disease are sought.
Mesothelioma takes anywhere from 20 to 50 years to develop, which is why it is more commonly diagnosed in older individuals. However, recent cases involving September 11th ground-zero first responders and clean-up crews show that high concentrations of asbestos can cause the disease to develop much more rapidly. A few WTC workers have already died of the disease.
Malignant mesothelioma, in general, is a very painful disease and because it is usually not diagnosed until it's in an advanced stage. For this reason, the mesothelioma symptoms are typically quite serious. Late diagnosis also means that the cancer is more likely to have metastasized, or spread, making successful mesothelioma treatment even more difficult.
An abundance of cases have also shown us that mesothelioma can develop among people who lived in communities where asbestos factories or mines were located. In some instances, entire towns have been adversely affected by the presence of asbestos in the air. For example, in Libby, Montana - site of a former vermiculite asbestos mine - hundreds have already died of mesothelioma.
Though still significantly rarer than other cancers, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States. Other countries, notably the United Kingdom and Australia, report a much higher incidence of the disease. Nevertheless, the United States - like many other countries - has seen an increase in asbestos-caused cancer as men who worked in U.S. shipyards in the 1940s and 1950s, at the height of production, are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Medical professionals and research scientists, however, are constantly exploring new ways to combat the disease. For example, doctors know that some combinations of chemotherapy drugs work better than others and tests developed to ascertain earlier diagnosis of the disease or to monitor those most at risk have arrived on the scene.
Due to the negligence of employers, many companies who manufacture asbestos or products that contain asbestos have been subject to literally thousands of lawsuits filed by those who've been harmed by the material. Many of these lawsuites filed with a mesothelioma lawyer are filed by the victim and their family in an effort to secure compensation from those culpable for their exposure.
Thanks to dedicated health professionals, like thoracic surgeon Dr. David Sugarbaker, as well as researchers and watchdog organizations, we're learning more and more about mesothelioma and how it can best be treated and managed. However, there's still far to go as both better efficacy in treatment and a cure for the disease are sought.
About the Disease
Mesothelioma which is sometimes referred to as asbestos cancer, is an aggressive cancer caused primarily by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. The disease attacks the mesothelium, a protective, two-layered membrane that covers the internal organs of the body including the lungs, heart and abdominal organs. Between these layers, the cells produce fluid, which allows easy movement of the heart and lungs within the chest cavity. The layer that covers the lungs is called the pericardium, which is where pericardial mesothelioma is known to occur. The peritoneum lines the abdominal cavity. Mesothelium also lines the male and female reproductive organs. Mesothelioma can affect any of these cells, but is usually seen in the pleural or peritoneal mesothelium. The most commonly diagnosed form of this cancer is pleural mesothelioma.Mesothelioma takes anywhere from 20 to 50 years to develop, which is why it is more commonly diagnosed in older individuals. However, recent cases involving September 11th ground-zero first responders and clean-up crews show that high concentrations of asbestos can cause the disease to develop much more rapidly. A few WTC workers have already died of the disease.
Diagnosis and Symptoms
The invasion of the mesothelium by cancer cells makes it very difficult for the patient to breathe, resulting in the need for oxygen, especially as the disease progresses. Those with the pleural form of mesothelioma may also suffer from pleural effusions. These effusions prevent the smooth movement of the lungs and other organs in the chest. Peritoneal mesothelioma also affects the stomach area and abdominal cavity, causing nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite, which can result in dangerous weight loss. In addition to breathing difficulties and loss of appetite, mesothelioma victims also complain of excessive coughing, sleeping difficulties, persistent chest pain, fever, and pain in the lower back.Malignant mesothelioma, in general, is a very painful disease and because it is usually not diagnosed until it's in an advanced stage. For this reason, the mesothelioma symptoms are typically quite serious. Late diagnosis also means that the cancer is more likely to have metastasized, or spread, making successful mesothelioma treatment even more difficult.
Who Gets Mesothelioma?
Statistics show that, because of their work history, the disease most often affects men between the ages of 50 and 70 who were employed in an asbestos-laden environment before asbesto regulations were imposed in the late 1970s. Though women still have a much lower frequency of the disease, cases of second-hand exposure to asbestos has prompted more diagnoses among women, especially those whose male family members worked with asbestos. The occupations most associated with mesothelioma are shipyard workers, electricians, plumbers, construction industry workers, pipefitters, boilermakers, and anyone subject to heavy exposure to dangerous airborne asbestos fibers.An abundance of cases have also shown us that mesothelioma can develop among people who lived in communities where asbestos factories or mines were located. In some instances, entire towns have been adversely affected by the presence of asbestos in the air. For example, in Libby, Montana - site of a former vermiculite asbestos mine - hundreds have already died of mesothelioma.
Though still significantly rarer than other cancers, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States. Other countries, notably the United Kingdom and Australia, report a much higher incidence of the disease. Nevertheless, the United States - like many other countries - has seen an increase in asbestos-caused cancer as men who worked in U.S. shipyards in the 1940s and 1950s, at the height of production, are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Living with Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in its late stages, a diagnosis that is often devastating to the individual and his/her family. Though research into the disease has been ongoing, there is currently no cure for mesothelioma. Some patients may be candidates for surgery to remove tumors or even an entire lung, but most are better treated with radiation or chemotherapy. More often than not, these treatments are palliative, serving to lessen the severity of the symptoms of the disease rather than offering a cure.Medical professionals and research scientists, however, are constantly exploring new ways to combat the disease. For example, doctors know that some combinations of chemotherapy drugs work better than others and tests developed to ascertain earlier diagnosis of the disease or to monitor those most at risk have arrived on the scene.
After a Diagnosis: What to Do
The reason someone develops mesothelioma is usually the lack of proper protection offered to those who worked with asbestos. Though the dangerous properties of asbestos and asbestos products have been evident for decades, many employers neglected to protect their workers from inhaling asbestos while on the job. It wasn't until public awareness of the dangers of the material were revealed in the 1970s that many employers began offering protective clothing such as respirators, gloves, aprons, and other such items to those working with asbestos on a daily basis.Due to the negligence of employers, many companies who manufacture asbestos or products that contain asbestos have been subject to literally thousands of lawsuits filed by those who've been harmed by the material. Many of these lawsuites filed with a mesothelioma lawyer are filed by the victim and their family in an effort to secure compensation from those culpable for their exposure.
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