Mesothelioma affects one person in about a million typically, and is a type of cancer which is not common. It is usually caused by asbestos exposure.
Although smoking does not directly cause Mesothelioma, a combination of smoking and asbestos exposure has been proven to increase the risk of Mesothelioma occurring in the lungs. Mesothelioma is usually caused by the asbestos poisoning effects when breathing in asbestos dust such as at work or even when washing the clothes of someone who has worked with asbestos.
Mesothelioma symptoms can include breathing difficulties and coughing (due to fluid in the lungs), chest pain and less specific symptoms such as weight loss, fever and abdominal pain. These can occur several decades after the asbestos exposure. Diagnosis of Mesothelioma might be supported by chest X-ray and/or CT scan or MRI, and the verified by detailed examination a sample of affected tissue (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.
It is common for someone to die within one and a half years of knowing that they have this disease. This is because the diagnosis is so difficult until the late stages rather than because the disease progresses rapidly. Treatments can often be expensive. Sometimes the total cost for treatment is around a million dollars.
Legal action about the disease started in 1929 and more than five hundred thousand claims have been filed so far. The highest mortality rate from the disease is in the ship-building and repairing industries, because of the extensive use of asbestos on ships. There are specialist attorneys and lawyers who handle legal action. The amounts received from a claim can be considerable.
Mesothelioma treatment options can include radiation and chemo treatment and less commonly surgery. However, despite treatment, mesothelioma prognosis is usually poor.
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