Mesothelioma Settlement Loans

What Is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer, with about 3,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. Some of our cavities (space housing our organs) and organs have a layer of protective lining called mesothelium.

Characterized as aggressive and deadly, it reduces life expectancy to an average of 12 to 21 months after diagnosis.

It occurs more in older people than younger people. Also, more whites and Hispanics/Latinos are found to have it than African Americans or Asian Americans.

An estimated 90% of the diagnoses are linked to asbestos exposure. 

Currently, there is no cure for this disease, but treatments are available. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are applied depending on the stage of cancer.

Types

The mesothelium has a slippery, non-adhesive surface that helps protect your organs when they move against each other and the body wall. 

This lining is found in many parts of the body and has a separate name depending on its location:

• Pleura: Covers the lungs and the chest area that contains the lungs
• Peritoneum: Lines the abdomen and the organs it holds
• Pericardium: Covers the heart and the chest space that holds the heart Over the j and the space that holds the heart in the chest
• Tunica vaginalis: Lines the testicles

Mesothelioma happens when the tumors that form in any of these linings are malignant. Meaning, they tend to invade nearby tissues and can spread and metastasize throughout the body. 

The growth of a cancer tumor can start in any of the four main parts above:

• Pleural mesotheliomas: Start in the chest. They make up more than 3 out of 4 mesothelioma cases.
• Peritoneal mesotheliomas: Begin in the abdomen. The remaining instances are of this type.
• Pericardial mesotheliomas: Start around the heart’s lining but are very rare.
• Mesotheliomas of the tunica vaginalis: Begin at the lining of the testicles and are very rare.

Doctors also divide the malignant mesotheliomas based on how the cancer cells look:

• Epithelioid mesotheliomas: This cell type is the most common, found in 70 to 80% of cancer patients. It usually has a better prognosis than the others.
• Sarcomatoid mesotheliomas: Also known as spindle cell mesothelioma, this type is rare, comprising about 10 to 20% of cases.
• Mixed (biphasic) mesotheliomas: This type contains both epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells. It’s the second-most common type with an occurrence of 20% to 40%.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may vary according to type:

Pleural Mesothelioma

• Pain in the chest
• Pain while coughing
• Difficulty in breathing
• Appearance of lumps of tissue under the skin of your chest
• Weight loss without a known cause

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

• Pain in the abdomen
• Inflammation of the abdomen
• Nausea
• Weight loss without a known cause

Pericardial Mesothelioma (Very Rare)

• Pain in the chest
• Difficulty in breathing

Mesothelioma of Tunica Vaginalis (Very Rare)

• Inflammation of or appearance of a mass in the testicle

Causes & Risk Factors

Asbestos Exposure

Exposure to asbestos, a group of naturally occurring minerals, is the only established risk factor for mesothelioma. About 90% of cases are connected to it, particularly its most common form, chrysotile.

Asbestos hazards are present at various types of work, causing injury or sickness to workers. Even short exposures can lead to mesothelioma in humans. Yet, it remains to be used in numerous industry settings, including construction sites and shipyards. The material is found in brakes, floor tiles, building materials, and vehicle brakes and clutches.

It can also be airborne and brought home by employees through clothing and other personal items. 

Based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, people who work with asbestos are required to wear protective equipment and wash exposed body parts with soap and water before leaving the workplace.

Zeolites

Zeolites are a group of minerals chemically related to asbestos. The fibrous erionite, a zeolite naturally found in parts of Turkey, is said to induce mesothelioma. Exposure to this asbestos-like mineral causes high rates of malignant mesothelioma deaths in some Turkish villages.

Erionite is also present in at least 12 states, including Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, and Utah.

Radiation

Exposure to high doses of radiation may also be a risk factor, according to some reports. This includes getting treated with radiation for another cancer. Still, cases among this group are very rare.

SV40 virus

The simian virus 40 (SV40) might be responsible for the development of mesothelioma in some patients. However, this is just a possibility, and the area needs more research.

Age

Young people, even children, can develop mesothelioma. However, it rarely occurs in people under 45. The risk, instead, increases among older people, with 2 out of 3 people suffering from pleural mesothelioma being 65 or older.

Gender

Almost 25% of people with mesothelioma are women, and they have better survival rates than men after diagnosis. This may be due to factors like lower total level of asbestos exposure, diagnosis at a younger age, and possibly hormonal differences.

However, women can develop pleural mesothelioma twice more often than peritoneal tumors. Mesothelioma of the chest is also the most common in men.

Genetics

The risk of developing mesothelioma can be passed on from parent to child through a gene mutation called BAP1. Among mesothelioma patients, about 1% have inherited the condition.

Complications

When the mesothelioma spreads in the chest, it may lead to a variety of respiratory complications, such as the following:

• Pain in the chest
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pain in the nerves and spinal cord due to pressure
• Pleural effusion or the buildup of fluid in the chest, which can lead to other complications, such as difficulty in breathing and lung collapse

Treatment & Prevention

Mesothelioma may start sprouting without showing symptoms until around 20 years. Thus, if you or a family member has been exposed to asbestos, it’s best to get tested as soon as possible to rule out cancer.

You may be subjected to a series of diagnostic tests using MRI, PET, and CT scans. Consult with your health care provider on how to proceed.

Routine checkups each year may help in the early detection of the disease when nodules begin appearing in the lining inside your body wall or organ.

Cover all your bases and have your entire family be checked, too. Some mesothelioma patients inhaled or ingested asbestos through secondary exposure. A husband who came home from work could have debris on his clothes. He tossed it in into the laundry basket, which contents his wife sorted the next day.

If you are working in a job that requires asbestos on the production floor, make sure to follow safety precautions and protocols.

For those suffering from mesothelioma, treatment will depend on what kind and how advanced your sickness is.

For example, you may undergo pleurectomy if you have mesothelioma of the chest. Or your oncologist may recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy instead.