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Asbestos.net is our comprehensive legal resource on asbestos and its devastating effects, including mesothelioma, asbestos cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. We strive to provide the most complete resources available on all aspects of malignant mesothelioma – a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. In addition, most of the content on Asbestos.net has been reviewed by Michael T. Milano, M.D., Ph.D., a licensed oncologist on staff and is intended to help provide patients and families with thorough, accurate information as they begin their search for answers, information, and mesothelioma treatment options.
Individuals whose lives have been touched by mesothelioma may have various questions and concerns. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer and need help, call our convenient toll-free number 888-360-4215 to speak with a mesothelioma consultant, or you can fill out our simple contact form for a free, no-obligation legal consultation.
Types of Mesothelioma
An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States each year. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lungs, although there are other types of mesothelioma that affect the heart (pericardial mesothelioma) or abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesothelioma). Asbestos.net also has information on mesothelioma symptoms, how mesothelioma is diagnosed, the stages of mesothelioma, mesothelioma life expectancy, support groups, research, clinical trials, and much more risk factors.
Mesothelioma Diagnosis
The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. As with most cancers, early diagnosis greatly increases the effectiveness of treatment. Unfortunately, mesothelioma may not manifest until anywhere between 30 and 40 years after the initial exposure.
Mesothelioma symptoms are generally non-specific and resemble the signs of more common illness, such as flu, bronchitis, viral pneumonia and heart disease. Some common symptoms include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, excessive coughing, chest or abdomen pain, weight loss and loss of appetite, among many others.
Usually it is the most common symptoms – breathing difficulties and shortness of breath – which prompt patients to consult with their doctor. It’s crucial to disclose any history of exposure to asbestos, even if it occurred decades before, as this information can aid doctors in their diagnosis.
Mesothelioma Treatment
Typically, there are three main categories for treatment of mesothelioma: established therapies, experimental treatments, and holistic therapies. Often these treatments are not isolated-or used alone-but rather as a combination of treatments.
Conventional Mesothelioma Treatments include therapies such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin or alimta.
Experimental Mesothelioma Treatments, such as clinical trials, have shown encouraging results to date. Such treatments include photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy.
Holistic Therapies for Mesothelioma, also known as alternative therapies, include methods such as massages, acupuncture, TENS therapy, aromatherapy, meditation, and yoga. Holistic mesothelioma therapies are a way in which to relieve the side effects associated with established therapies.
These and many other treatments may be available to you at the mesothelioma treatment center where you are being treated, however, it is also important to discuss all of the various options you might have with your doctor.
Mesothelioma and Veterans
Hundreds of thousands of U.S. military veterans were exposed to asbestos or products containing asbestos material during their service.
Due to its chemical, electric, and heat resistant characteristics, asbestos was widely used by every military branch prior to 1980.
Navy Veterans were perhaps the most susceptible to mesothelioma, asbestos cancer, or asbestos lung cancer, especially if they served between the 1930s and 1970s, as nearly every ship and shipyard built by the Navy was fitted with numerous asbestos containing materials.
Mesothelioma Legal Resources
The health hazards of asbestos exposure have been known as far back as the 1930s. For decades, companies have wrongfully used asbestos and exposed workers to the dangers of this carcinogen, with reckless disregard for the consequences. Many of those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer were needlessly exposed by another party, often without knowledge of the deadly risks faced.
With that in mind, one of the most important things that a person who has been diagnosed with one of these diseases can and should do immediately is contact a mesothelioma attorney with considerable experience in mesothelioma litigation to ensure that everything that can be done IS being done to help them on all fronts.
An important aspect of a mesothelioma lawsuit is recovery for medical costs and loss of income. Equally important, however, is the fact that without some form of punishment, many of these corporations that made a decision to knowingly harm their employees and those that used their products in exchange for a higher profit margin will not change the way they do business.
Mesothelioma litigation may help victims receive compensation by the manufacturers and distributors of asbestos and asbestos containing products, as well as by companies or other employers who knowingly exposed their workers to asbestos.