Every year in America, approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma and are often expected to die within three years of their diagnoses. Mesothelioma is a very rare form of lung cancer with very few treatment options for patients; this condition is caused by asbestos exposure either at home or on the job.

Mesothelioma can often take as long as 50 years to be diagnosed after the initial asbestos exposure because it often takes at least 20 years for patients to experience any symptoms. Patients with asbestos mesotheliomacan live a normal life until they start experiencing chronic coughs, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that is 700 times smaller than a human hair, and has been used for construction purposes in for several decades until its carcinogenic properties were discovered. Asbestos especially gained popularity in the United States in the late 1800s for its fire and chemical resistant qualities, as well as being economically sound for construction companies. However, in the mid 1900s, experts started to suspect that asbestos was not as safe as it appeared, as they noticed numerous people reported lung damage years after being exposed to asbestos.

Overview of Mesothelioma Patient Options

Due to its long development process, patients are often diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma at a latent point of the cancer prognosis, resulting in little expectations regarding treatment for the patients. Patients are often diagnosed with mesothelioma, when doctors analyze the patient’s medical history and confirm if they have been exposed to asbestos in the past. As mentioned before, asbestos is the only cause of mesothelioma, as the asbestos fibers are unintentionally inhaled by the patients, scarring their lung and lung linging.

Other methods of asbestos mesothelioma diagnosis include X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, which can identify any tumors that may have formed in the mucous lining of lungs because of a mesothelioma condition. Image tests can confirm that there is a tumor, after which a biopsy is performed to determine whether or not the tumor is malignant. When the official diagnosis is finally declared, patients are then referred to specialized oncologists or medical institutions to determine the best course of treatment. Unfortunately, there is no cure for mesothelioma and many patients eventually succumb to the disease.

Oftentimes treatment options are designed and chosen to insure an overall quality of life for the patients, as they live through mesothelioma. Common treatment options often include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or a combination of these methods. While early diagnosis is uncommon with this disease, it can give patients a better opportunity to prolong their life after a mesothelioma diagnosis, as it may allow for a wider range of treatment suggestions.

Asbestos Mesothelioma Litigation

Unfortunately, early treatment options often are not even discussed with patients, as they are typically diagnosed at either stage three or four asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer. Experts believe that these latent developments stem from the fact that most patients were not aware they were exposed to asbestos, resulting in the lack of suspicion from the patients. In fact, most patients are shocked when they are diagnosed with any asbestos disease, because they often worked in jobs that exposed them to asbestos without their knowledge. This has led to the largest mass tort litigation movement in the history of the United States, involving over 600,000 plaintiffs and over 6,000 defendants in asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits and asbestos mesothelioma class action lawsuits.

Many of these unsuspecting victims include: retired military veterans, former factory workers, retired miners, former construction workers, and car manufacturing companies. In each of these occupations, employers knowingly exposed their workers to asbestos without providing any safety precautions or protective equipment. Additionally, the victims often brought the asbestos fibers home on their clothing unintentionally, which led to second-hand exposure to their spouse and family members. These family members are also entitled to pursue litigation for their asbestos mesothelioma conditions.