Mesothelioma - Cancer Facts & Resources
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| Friday, January 20, 2006 |
| Mesothelioma Cancer: Prevalence, Occurrence, Causes and Legal View |
Causes of Mesothelioma: Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer in the general population. However, in individuals that were exposed to asbestos, it is not as rare. That’s because the only known, established cause of mesothelioma is asbestos. There are experts that have speculated on other causes. There are incidences of mesothelioma with no known asbestos exposure.
However, that does not mean that there was no exposure. The right questions have to be asked. The person asking the question has to be familiar with the uses and applications of the asbestos products. There are many examples where inadequate occupational histories were taken and potential exposures were not investigated.
Mesothelioma is not a lung cancer. It is not caused by smoking. It is a cancer of the mesothelial cells. The asbestos fibers are breathed in, travel through the lung and become lodged in the pleura, the thin, saran wrap-type membrane that lines that encases the lung. The pleura, produces a special lubricating fluid that facilitates the ability of the lungs to move inside the chest during breathing. The process of irritation from the infiltration of the asbestos fibers creates changes in the cells, which causes the mesothelioma. This is known as pleural mesothelioma. Less common is peritoneal mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the membrane that encompasses the lining of the abdomen.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma: In a typical case, an individual with mesothelioma will experience chest pain (usually caused by a build-up of fluid in the pleural space called an effusion) and shortness of breath. Since many doctors may not have expertise in the area of asbestos-related diseases, these symptoms are often believed, at first, to be attributable to other medical problems. A biopsy of the pleural tissue or fluid may reveal the cancer of the mesothelial cells and a proper diagnosis can be established. A history of the individual’s occupational exposure will in most instances be taken. The patient may or may not recall the precise nature of his exposure to asbestos. Since there is no “safe” level of exposure to asbestos. Even brief, low level exposures may be enough to cause mesothelioma.
Occurrence of Mesothelioma: Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that strikes over 3000 individuals per year. The incidence of mesothelioma is actually increasing day by day. That is because of the long latency period associated with this asbestos-caused cancer, i.e. the time between the exposure to asbestos and the onset of the disease, is typically at least 10 years and as many as 60 years after exposure. That means that a worker in a factory or shipyard or otherwise exposed in the 1940’s or 1950’s may not experience any symptoms of mesothelioma until this year.
There is presently no known cure for mesothelioma. As the disease progresses, the cancerous cells harden the pleura and spread. As time passes, breathing, sleeping and eating become more difficult and eventually it becomes increasingly more challenging for the victim to engage in normal activities and enjoy life.
Treatments of Mesothelioma: A number of treatments have been established to help contain the spread of the disease and reduce the pain associated with it. Chemotherapy, radiation and radical surgery to remove the lung and/or pleura are among the options that will be explored by the treating physician.
Prevalence of Mesothelioma: This disease was preventable. Many of the corporations that manufactured and profited from the sale of asbestos-containing products were aware of the hazards of asbestos. They were aware or could have been aware as early as the 1920’s. Alternative fibers were available in the 1920’s that could have been used instead of asbestos. But asbestos was cheap, and available, and was a good filler and binder. Notwithstanding the deadly hazards of this fiber, corporations chose to rip asbestos out of the earth and recklessly use it in products from the 1920’s through the 1970’s and 1980’s, until most of these products were banned in the United States and abroad. The manufacturers did not warn workers exposed to the asbestos in their products until, at the earliest, the mid-1960’s and the warnings were terribly inadequate. The result is that many Americans have unnecessarily and tragically contracted asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, other cancers and asbestosis, a scarring of the lung or pleural tissue.
Legal View of Mesothelioma: The large settlements and verdicts associated with mesothelioma cases are not accidental. Jurors who have the opportunity to review the internal documents of these manufacturers and sellers of these products are outraged by the actual knowledge of these corporations and access to knowledge about the hazards of asbestos.
The varied and non-specific symptoms associated with mesothelioma, can delay detection and diagnosis. If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor right away. Make sure that your physician is aware of any previous asbestos exposure, and occupational risk factors. |
posted by Simon @ 3:03 AM  |
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| Thursday, January 19, 2006 |
| Mesothelioma |
Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer, usually associated with previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant (cancerous) cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (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 (a sac that surrounds the heart).
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. |
| posted by Simon @ 6:24 PM |
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| Your rights to compensation after asbestos exposure |
People who suffer from asbestos related injuries are entitled to compensation from the manufacturers of asbestos. Though the amount of compensation varies in each individual case, it is often a significant amount of money – as much as six or seven figures.
One cannot consider this compensation as a windfall as asbestos related injuries can be fatal with painful symptoms and a late diagnosis. The medical costs associated with treating a disease such as mesothelioma can be staggering. Moreover, legal compensation is a means by which many victims of mesothelioma provide enough money to support the family they leave behind.
If one is a victim of mesothelioma, the eligibility to legal compensation will depend on several factors:
a) Statute of Limitations: One’s first concern would be to file within the statutory deadlines. In the case of mesothelioma, one should file within a few years. In case, one is the executor of the estate of a person who has died from asbestos-related disease, one may be eligible to file a claim but that claim should also be made within a short time of the death. A family member who has been exposed in a secondary manner may also be eligible to file a claim.
b) Identify Your Exposure: In order to establish a claim against manufacturers, distributors, or contractors, it must be proved beyond doubt that one was exposed to a particular asbestos product at a specific location.
c) Responsible Parties: One must also be able to recollect who the responsible parties for the asbestos related injuries were.
Compensation amount is determined by factors such as lost income, the laws in a state, and the parties responsible. Compensation for mesothelioma varies from several thousand to several million. Because of the aggressive nature of mesothelioma it is important that the patient and his or her family move quickly to document the facts and circumstances particular to the individual's exposure to asbestos.
This includes gathering information on work history, the types, and brands of asbestos products encountered in ones past as well as the different work locations where exposure may have occurred and names of co-workers. In case a diagnosed client is unable to movie, depositions can be conducted at their home or hospital. But if one is in a terminal stage, other methods of obtaining the required proof of exposure should be provided with the help of one’s closest relatives.
Generally, the greatest amount of compensation can be recovered from the asbestos industry. Financial security for surviving family members is most often made possible by these awards that are frequently in the millions of dollars. Law firms handling these cases do so on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront expenses and the firm's payment, if any, comes only from the award or mesothelioma financial settlement amount they secure on your behalf.
Apart from such legal compensation, there are also other methods of financial recovery for the victim of mesothelioma. Disability claims may be filed if one has such insurance either privately or through an employer. Disability claims can be filed with the federal social security system. If asbestos exposure can be linked to a particular job-site can a worker's compensation claim be filed against an employer.
These, then are the rights to compensation for a victim of mesothelioma. |
| posted by Simon @ 6:12 PM |
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| Some statistics related to Mesothelioma |
Mesothelioma is a rare disease. There are an estimated 2000 to 3000 new cases of mesothelioma every year in the United States and what is worrying is the fact that this figure appears to be increasing.
• Approximately 2000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Internationally, the incidence is approximately 9 cases per every 1 million persons.
• Malignant mesothelioma has a peak incidence about 40 years after asbestos exposure, and it commonly develops when a person is between 50 and 70 years of age.
• Since diagnosis is often made very late in this particular disease, the average age of diagnosis is 50 to 70 years. The disease affects men 3 to 5 times more often than women. African Americans are less susceptible to acquire mesothelioma than white Americans. Of men with mesothelioma, a case series study showed that 45% had a history of exposure to asbestos and 53% had occupational exposure to asbestos. Most of the men were railroad workers, construction workers, naval mechanics and automobile mechanics
• Mesothelioma is a fatal disease and the fact that it’s diagnosed mostly at the advanced level increases the risk of death due to this disease. The average survival time is about 12-18 months. However, if there is early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, almost half of the patients whose cancer is found early could live up to another two years and about 20% survive for about five years or more. The sarcomatoid type is the most aggressive with a median survival rate of approximately 9.4 months. The epithelioid and biphasic (or mixed) have somewhat longer survival rates at 12.5 and 11 months, respectively.
• Mesothelioma has a long latency (inactive) period of 15-20 years.
• Experts predict that mesothelioma diagnoses will continue to increase in the United States for at least another 10 to 20 years.
• While some forms of asbestos have been banned in many countries, an estimated 5000 asbestos containing products exist today.
• As many as 8 million people in the U.S. have already been exposed to asbestos
• One study of asbestos insulation workers reported a mesothelioma death rate up to 344 times higher than the general population.
• By the year 2030, there are estimates that asbestos will have caused 60000 instances of mesothelioma.
• Over half a million asbestos and mesothelioma injury claims have been filed so far. Over 50000 were filed in 1998 alone.
• Incidence ( annual ) of Mesothelioma is 563 new cases in the UK 2002 (UK Government Statistics)
• Incidence rate is approximately 1 in 106,571 or 0.00% or 2,552 people in USA
• Deaths from Mesothelioma are 2,371 deaths in America 2001 (NCHS, 2003)
• Deaths from Mesothelioma are 1848 deaths in the UK 2001(UK Government Statistics)
• 1,631 deaths in the UK 2000 (UK Government Statistics) expected to peak at 1,950 to 2,450 deaths in the UK between 2011-15 (UK Government Statistics)
• A recent study of auto shops in six states and DC found that two-thirds of the surveyed locations showed substantial levels of asbestos. This survey clearly indicates that lifting the EPA Guidance, would put the 750,000 brake mechanics in the United States at greater risk.
• Mesothelioma has no preference for race or gender, as asbestos exposure is thought to be the most important risk factor. Asbestos exposure is directly linked to at least 50% of the cases.
• Pemetrexed (brand name Alimta™) is a novel antifolate, a class of drugs that targets the folic acid metabolic pathway, which effects availability of certain B complex vitamins. The results of the trial show that tumors shrank in 41 percent of patients on pemetrexed in combination with a more commonly used chemotherapy agent called cisplatin. Only 17 percent of patients receiving cisplatin alone experienced tumor shrinkage. Additionally, those on the pemetrexed combination lived nearly three months longer than those on cisplatin alone.
• In 1998 and 1999, 542 incident cases of mesothelioma were reported in the nine SEER ( Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program) areas, accounting for incidence rates of 14.81 in 1998 (n = 267 cases) and 13.22 in 1999 (n = 275 cases). Seattle (Puget Sound), San Francisco–Oakland, and New Mexico had the highest incidence rates, and Hawaii the lowest.
• One of the most tragic statistics is that for nearly 20% of mesothelioma cases in the United States, “mesothelioma” is not mentioned on the death certificate or, if mentioned, is miscoded. |
| posted by Simon @ 6:09 PM |
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