MESOTHELIOMA
Mesothelioma is a relatively rare cancer of the lining of the chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the pericardium). The chest cavity, abdominal cavity, and the cavity around the heart are each surrounded by a layer of specialized mesothelial cells. The tissue formed by these cells is called mesothelium.
A special protective lubricating fluid that allows organs to move around is produced by the mesothelium. This protective fluid helps the lungs to move without resistance inside the chest cavity while breathing. The medical name for the mesothelium of the chest is the pleura and the medical name for the mesothelium of the abdomen is the peritoneum. The mesothelium of the “sac-like” space around the heart is called the pericardium.
Pleural mesothelioma, the most common type of mesothelioma, affects the pleura which surrounds the lungs. Approximately another 10% to 20% of mesotheliomas are peritoneal mesotheliomas which affect the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen. Pericardial mesothelioma, affecting the lining around the heart, is extremely rare.
Mesothelioma is sometimes referred to as a signature disease of asbestos exposure because nearly everyone who is diagnosed with the disease has been exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives. Often, it is clear where someone was exposed during their lifetimes. Many who served in the Navy, worked in shipyards, worked in oil refineries, chemical plants, steel mills or aluminum plants, or worked in one of the various construction trades can easily recall having worked regularly with or around asbestos during their lifetimes.
Very often, however, someone diagnosed with mesothelioma cannot readily recall just how and where they were exposed to asbestos during their lifetime. This occurs for two reasons. First, people exposed to even small amounts of asbestos can later develop mesothelioma. While the likelihood of developing mesothelioma increases with heavier exposure to asbestos, most experts now agree that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos at all. Second, mesothelioma has a long latency period of between 10 and 60 years. This means that someone who was briefly exposed to asbestos decades ago can develop the disease today. Click here to read more about asbestos exposure.
People diagnosed with mesothelioma usually have a strong legal case to seek financial compensation from companies that manufactured or used asbestos products. Lawyers for mesothelioma victims have proven time and time again in court that many of these companies were well aware of the dangers their asbestos products posed decades ago. Yet the industry as a whole went to great lengths to suppress this information. The asbestos industry was once a big and profitable one. Click here for more information on financial compensation, your legal rights, and the asbestos industry.
While mesothelioma is a serious disease, progress is being made everyday towards finding a cure. Cancer centers throughout the world, as well as drug companies, are conducting research all the time. The prognosis for mesothelioma often depends on how early it is diagnosed and how it is treated. Click on Treatments to learn more about the various treatments currently being used for mesothelioma, or click on News for our continually updated section with the latest developments in treatments and other articles of interest to those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and their loved ones.
Please contact us to learn more about your legal rights. We have been helping people with mesothelioma and their families for over a decade.