Mesothelioma Lawyers

Posts Tagged ‘Abdominal Cavity’

There are seven different types of mesothelioma.  These seven types are: abdominal, chyrostile peritoneal, malignant, pericardial, pleural, epithelial malignant, and cystic mesothelioma.  Abdominal mesothelioma is also known as peritoneal mesothelioma.  This type of mesothelioma affects the tissue in the abdominal cavity.  Chryostile peritoneal mesothelioma is a form of mesothelioma caused by the inhalation and subsequent lodging of asbestos fibers within the abdominal cavity.  Malignant mesothelioma occurs as a tumor in the lining of the lungs and chest cavity and the tumors can spread quickly to other areas in the body.  Pericardial mesothelioma affects the tissue layers surrounding the heart and, as with most variations of mesothelioma, is quite rare.  Pleural mesothelioma affects the tissue surrounding the lungs.  Epithelial malignant mesothelioma is a form of mesothelioma that affects the tissue membrane surrounding the organs.  Epithelial malignant mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma there is.  Cystic mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma that occurs by cysts being lined with a layer of mesothelial cells.  Cystic mesothelioma is benign and one who is diagnosed with this, generally young females, can usually have a normal life expectancy.  Treatment of each form of mesothelioma varies due to the variance in affected areas.  For most forms there is usually not a long life expectancy after diagnosis.  Generally life expexctancy can range from 6 to 18 months depending on the severity of the condition at diagnosis.  Surgery is not always necessary as a treatment.  Treatment can range from chemotherapy to surgery, to a cocktail of medicines.

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Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are usually difficulty in breathing, and chest pain. A patient may exhibit on or both of these symptoms, but sometimes a person who has mesothelioma is asymptomatic. Other symptoms sometimes include nausea, vomiting, fever, cough and weight loss. Mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose because it’s symptoms often mirror those of different types of cancer. The main factor that will give your doctor the ability to properly diagnose mesothelioma is whether you have had any exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is the main cause of mesothelioma and has been linked to almost every single case of the disease. If you doctor suspects mesothelioma, you will need to have x-rays or other imaging tests done on your abdominal cavity to determine the size and location of the tumor. After a tumor is located, a biopsy will be required to confirm that it is mesothelioma. A tissue sample is often required in addition to test for the presence of mesothelioma. Unfortunately, specialists have yet to discover a cure for mesothelioma but there are several treatment options that will help to ease the symptoms. If a tumor is operable, a patient will usually be given a round of chemotherapy or radiation in order to kill any remaining cancer cells. This coupling treatments is called adjuvant therapy and has shown to be more successful that a single treatment option. Medicine has come along way in helping to easy the suffering of mesothelioma patients and it is possible to live a long happy life after asbestos exposure now.

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Sydney, Australia—Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently announced the opening of a foundation which will pay tribute to mesothelioma sufferer and social justice campaigner Bernie Banton.

The Bernie Banton Foundation will not only help patients who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, but will also help fund research into the treatment and cure of those diseases.

Banton was the public face of asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma, until his death in November 2007. He is also remembered for battling corporate giant James Hardie in order to secure compensation both for his own family and for all asbestos victims. An average workingman who contracted mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos-related lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos while working in a Hardie plant, Banton was only 61 when he died from complications of peritoneal mesothelioma.

One of the rarest forms of mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the membranous lining of the stomach and abdominal cavity. Caused by inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers, it has no known cure and is difficult to treat, owing in part to the fact that it is often not diagnosed until its latest stages. Sufferers from mesothelioma endure great pain, and generally do not live more than two years after diagnosis.

One of the foundation’s initiatives is a program called “Bernie’s Angels.” The angels will be both volunteer and professional aides who will assist newly diagnosed asbestos-disease sufferers in their home or in the hospital, and provide emotional support, information and practical advice. Banton’s widow, Karen, will be one of the first angels.

The Bernie Banton Foundation estimates that some 40,000 Australians will have contracted a cancer due to asbestos, like mesothelioma, by the year 2020. Even though asbestos use is now heavily regulated—although not entirely outlawed, as many people mistakenly believe—the reason for this delay is the disease’s long latency period. Mesothelioma may develop within the body for up to 50 years before becoming symptomatic.

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