Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is an asbestos-related cancer that is difficult to accurately diagnose and is unresponsive to many therapies. It occurs in the pleura, or lining of the lung, and, in very rare cases, in other areas of the body as well. While malignant mesothelioma remains an uncommon cancer, its documented three-fold increase in males between 1970-1984 can be traced to environmental and occupational exposure.

Asbestos products, which were used primarily for insulation and heat retardation, have been banned in construction since 1975. Asbestos still presents a danger to anyone doing maintenance, repair, or demolition work in buildings containing asbestos. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose and even harder to treat; patients often suffer from a great deal of pain and face a poor treatment outcome.

Early symptoms of mesothelioma can be very non-specific and are often ignored. Most people with this type of cancer have definitive symptoms only 2 to 3 months before the cancer is found, but by then it is often advanced.

These symptoms can also have other origins. But if you have worked with asbestos and have any of these symptoms, you should see your doctor immediately. Fleming | Nolen | Jez, L.L.P. believes anyone who has developed mesothelioma subsequent to asbestos exposure should have their case evaluated.

For more information from the Fleming | Nolen | Jez, L.L.P. website:

• Diagnosis and Treatment of Mesothelioma
  
• University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
  
• How asbestos fibers trigger cancer in human cells
  
• Asbestos found in children's toys
  
• Clinical trial targets pleural mesothelioma
  
• Mayo Using Measles Virus to Destroy Mesothelioma Tumors
  
• New Hope for Mesothelioma Patients: Cancer Drug to be Tested
  

For more information on mesothelioma visit the following websites:

• National Cancer Institute - Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers
• The American Cancer Society - All About Malignant Mesothelioma
• American Lung Association - Mesothelioma Fact Sheet
• OSHA - Safety and Health Topics: Asbestos
• Department of Health and Human Services - Asbestos: Health Effects
  
  

Websites to help patients find quality care

• M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - Mesothelioma Treatment
• National Cancer Institute - Comprehensive Cancer Centers
• WebMD - Cancer Health Center
  

Mesothelioma Related Videos

Industrial Abestos Exposure

Veterans & Mesothelioma

What is Mesothelioma?

Asbestos Exposure