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What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer usually found in individuals who have been exposed to asbestos. There is a latency period of approximately ten to fifty years between the initial exposure to asbestos and the manifestation of this terminal cancer.

Mesothelioma emerges when malignant cells develop in the lining of the chest cavity, abdominal cavity or the cavity around the heart. Symptoms of mesothelioma are just beginning to materialize for many individuals who worked during the 1940's through the 1970's in shipyards, power plants and in industries that used asbestos in their manufacturing process.

Individuals who worked with and inhaled asbestos fibers for prolonged periods of time may be at a heightened risk for developing mesothelioma. However, there are instances of individuals who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma many years after a short, intense encounter with asbestos during employment at a summer job. There are also accounts of secondary exposures to asbestos. This type of exposure may occur when a wife launders her husband's work clothes, and/or when a child is exposed to asbestos dust on the clothing of a family member. There are two very important factors relative to asbestos-related diseases: duration and intensity of exposure. There is no causational link between smoking and mesothelioma.

The most common form of this rare cancer is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the thin membrane lining the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma develops when asbestos fibers become lodged in the pleural membrane as they are inhaled and travel through the lung. Although scientists are still researching the exact method that causes mesothelioma, it is believed that asbestos fibers cause damage to the cells of the pleural membrane which cause the pleural membrane to thicken and fluid to develop. A tumor forms as a result of the division and multiplication of these cancerous cells inside the pleural lining. Generally, mesothelioma is diagnosed by a chest x-ray, CT scan and lung biopsy. Despite several known treatments, including removal of parts of the affected lung(s), chemotherapy and radiation, mesothelioma continues to be an aggressive, rare form of cancer almost always resulting in death.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, please contact us for a free and confidential case evaluation.