Did You Know?
In the United States, 2,000-3,000 patients are diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma each year.
Pleural Mesothelioma is a malignant mesothelioma that spreads within the chest cavity and sometimes involves the lung.
Pleural Mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that make up the pleura or lining around the outside of the lungs and inside of the ribs. It’s only known cause in the U.S. is previous exposure to asbestos fibers, including chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite. Exposure to these fibers within ten years of a diagnosis of this type of cancer can be considered as a likely contributing factor in the disease process. It is the most common type of mesothelioma, accounting for about 75% of all cases.
Pleural Mesothelioma Attorney- Filing a Lawsuit :
More than 6,000 asbestos companies have been named in asbestos lawsuits in the last 40 years. It is not uncommon for there to be 20-30 companies that are named in an asbestos lawsuit in the United States.
For example, a worker in California may have been exposed to asbestos from asbestos products shipped from Libby, Montana, an iron ore plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, shipyards, oil refineries, power plants, railroads, boiler rooms or construction sites. This is why it is very important to obtain an experienced asbestos lawyer that knows all of the companies in each state who have responsibility for your asbestos exposure.
Use our Quick Contact Form or call our FREE Pleural Mesothelioma Attorneyat Toll Free 800.291.0963!
There are many things which you should consider when looking for an asbestos lawyer. We have helped asbestos victims across the country receive millions of dollars worth of compensation for:
Medical treatments including surgery and chemotherapy
Hospice and/or palliative care
Funeral/burial expenses
Pain and suffering
Loss of companionship
We are proud of these recent signficant mesothelioma verdicts of our lawyers we are working with:
- Yancy and Mudgett vs. Plant Insulation Company
- Hearn, Harris, Wetch vs. Plant Insulation Company
- Los Angeles Jury Awards $4.9 million in Cookus Case
- San Francisco Jury Awards $5,900,000 to Peninsula Executive
- San Francisco Jury Awards $5,150,000 to HVAC Mechanic and his Wife
- San Francisco Jury Awards $2,245,000 to Bulldozer Driver and his Wife
- Victor and Francesca Trinchese vs. Union Carbide, Inc.
- San Francisco Jury Returns $11.5 Million Verdict Against UNOCAL for Pipefitter's Wife
- San Francisco Jury Returns $1,125,579 Verdict Against Allied Signal, Inc.
Pleural Mesothelioma Attorney- Choices: Deciding which asbestos lawyer to represent you and your case is very important. Choosing the right asbestos lawyer will be important to your settlement. You are entitled to an experienced asbestos lawyer who has a track record of success in asbestos lawsuits nationwide.
Pleural Mesothelioma Attorney- Loss of a Loved One: If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos cancer or Mesothelioma 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.
The vast majority of cases of asbestosis and mesothelioma are due to exposure to the carcinogenic mineral asbestos, which was used in thousands of products dating from the 1880s through 1989. Every asbestos lawyer knows of the devastation that this cancer has on patients and their families. We are here to help you file a claim.
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.
This site is dedicated to providing important information on asbestos & mesothelioma cancers. We help asbestos patients and families make educated decisions about how to proceed when filing asbestos and mesothelioma claims.
Contact an Experienced Pleural Mesothelioma AttorneyToday
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Lawyers who represent asbestos and mesothelioma patients are prepared to discuss your case with you today and will advise you of your legal rights. Whether you simply have questions or need full legal representation, the first step is to contact an asbestos mesothelioma lawyer today for a FREE complimentary consultation.
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- (1) diffuse and malignant (cancerous).
- (2) localized and benign (non-cancerous.)
Benign mesotheliomas can often be removed surgically, are generally not life-threatening, and are not usually related to asbestos exposure. Malignant mesotheliomas, however, are very serious. Fortunately, they are rare - about two thousand people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the U.S. each year.
Pleural Mesothelioma signs and symptoms may include:
- chest pain and pain in the lower back
- difficulty breathing
- coughing
- weight loss
- fever
- muscle weakness and sensory loss
- swelling of the face and arms
- hoarseness
- coughing up blood
Asbestos exposure is the most common risk factor associated with Pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos refers to a family of magnesium-silicate mineral fibers that have been commonly used for insulation and in the shipbuilding and construction industries.
A history of asbestos exposure is found in 80 percent of patients who present with Pleurlal mesothelioma. Other factors, which may promote mesothelioma, include: chronic lung infections, tuberculous pleuritis, radiation (Thorotrast) and exposure to the simian virus 40 (SV40) or mineral fibers (Zeolite).
Although tobacco smoking has not been associated with the development of mesotheliomas, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure greatly increases the risk of mesothelioma lung cancer.
- In the United States, 2,000-3,000 patients are diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma each year.
- Mesothelioma affects men more frequently than women and is more common in white Americans.
- The median age of onset of symptoms is 70.
- Seven percent of workers exposed to asbestos become affected.
- The latent period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms can be 20-40 years.
- The median survival time is between 4-12 months, depending on the stage of presentation. The three-year survival is 10 percent and the overall five-year survival is approximately 5 percent.
The severity of the condition varies from person to person, but in most cases the onset of Pleural Mesothelioma is usually very slow with the most common presenting symptom being persistent pain localized in the chest. Sometimes the pain is accompanied by severe difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath. Cough, weight loss, fever and night sweats are less common.
Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Pleural Mesothelioma is sometimes diagnosed by coincidence, before there are any symptoms. For instance, tumors have been discovered through routine chest x-rays. However, when symptoms occur, they may include shortness of breath, weakness, weight loss, and loss of appetite, chest pains, lower back pains, persistent coughing, and difficulty in swallowing, alone or in combination. An initial medical examination often shows a pleural effusion, which means an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space - the area between the lungs and the chest wall.
The first step in detecting pleural mesothelioma is, typically, a chest x-ray or CT scan. This is often followed by a bronchoscopy, using a viewing scope to look inside the lungs.
The actual pleural mesothelioma diagnosis usually requires obtaining a piece of tissue through a biopsy. This could be a needle biopsy, an open biopsy, or through a tube with a camera (thoracoscopy or chest scope.) If an abnormality is seen through the camera then a tissue sample can be taken at the same time, using the same tube. This is a hospital procedure that requires anesthesia, but is not usually painful. The tissue sample is tested by a pathologist.
Pleural Mesothelioma Fluid Build up
Fluid build-up from the pleural effusion can generally be seen on a chest x-ray and heard during a physical examination, but a firm diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma can only be made through a biopsy and pathological testing. This is important because there are also benign pleural effusions and other tumors that have a similar appearance to mesothelioma. Diagnosing pleural mesothelioma can be quite difficult; it requires special lab stains, and much experience in understanding them.
The spread of the tumor over the pleura causes pleural thickening. This can reduce the flexibility of the pleura and encase the lungs in an increasingly restrictive girdle. With the lungs restricted, they get smaller and less functional, and breathing becomes more difficult. At first a person with mesothelioma may be breathless only when he or she exercises, but as lung function drops, he or she can become short of breath even while resting.
The tumor spreads by direct invasion of surrounding tissue. As it spreads inward it can compress the lungs. As the tumor spreads outward it can invade the chest wall and ribs, and this can be extremely painful.
Current medical science does not know exactly how and why, at a cellular level, asbestos fibers cause mesothelial cells to become abnormal (malignant or cancerous.) Thus it is not known whether only one fiber causes the tumor or whether it takes many fibers. It seems that asbestos fibers in the pleura can start a tumor as well as promote its growth; the tumor does not depend on any other processes for its development.
Pleural Mesothelioma Cure
There is as yet no known cure for pleural mesothelioma. The prognosis depends on various factors, including the size and stage of the tumor, the extent of the tumor, the cell type, and whether or not the tumor responds to treatment. The Firm has represented many clients who lived for five to ten years after diagnosis, most of them in good health for a majority of those years. Some pleural mesothelioma victims succumb within a few months; the average survival time is about a year.
Use our Quick Contact Form or call our FREE Pleural Mesothelioma AttorneyHotline at Toll Free 800.291.0963!
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