connecticut lawyer mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Advice - Questions And Answers By Rick Hendershot, Thu Dec 8th
What is mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium. Like most cancers,mesothelioma involves the abnormal dividing of cells of aparticular part of the body -- in this case, the mesothelium.Mesothelioma is so deadly because it remains dormant for manyyears and then begins to rapidly expand. The cancer then beginsto invade and damage nearby tissue, including the vital organs.
What is the mesothelium?
Many of the internal organs of the body are protected by amembrane called the mesothelium. This membrane actually consistsof two layers of cells. The inner layer surrounds the organs,and the second is a sac surrounding the inner layer. When organswithin this membrane must move, expand or contract -- such asthe heart, lungs, bladder, and so on, they are able to do sobecause the mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid between thetwo layers.
Mesothelioma most often begins in the pleura or peritoneum. Thepleura surrounds the lungs and covers the chest cavity. Theperitoneum covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity.Other mesothelium tissue is also vulnerable to mesothelioma.These include the pericardium that surrounds and protects theheart; the tunica vaginalis testic which surrounds the internalmale reproductive organs; and the tunica serosa uteri which isthe membrane covering the internal reproductive organs in women.
Who is at greatest risk to develop mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma has a very specific cause - exposure to asbestos.During the first half of the previous century, right up untilthe mid 1970s asbestos was an important material used toinsulate buildings, machines, heavy equipment, and a broad rangeof commercial applications. Because it was plentiful andinexpensive to mine, asbestos was used in many building productssuch as home insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles. It wasalso used in commonly found commercial products such as brakelinings and pipe insulation.
This meant that millions of people were coming in contact withasbestos on a daily basis. And since the effects of exposure toasbestos fibre often do not become apparent for 30 or 40 yearsafter prolonged exposure, companies and health officials wereslow to recognize the dangers of asbestos. As a result, shipyardworkers, men and women working in asbestos mines and mills,workers producing asbestos products, workers in the heating andconstruction industries, and virtually all other tradespeoplewere exposed to asbestos fibres for extended periods of time.
Today it is understood that anyone working with or near asbestoshas an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, so there arestrictly controlled limits of exposure in the work place. Butsince the dormancy period of
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can often be 30 or 40years, there are millions of workers who are at risk because oftheir exposure in the decades before the safety controls wereput in place.
What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?
Pleural
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- cancer of the pleura or lung lining -causes shortness of breath or chronic coughing. Other symptomsof pleural
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may include chest pain, chroniccoughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing, hoarseness,weight loss, or blood in the phlegm from the lungs whencoughing.
Peritoneal
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affects the lining around the stomachand intestines and is usually just as dangerous. Symptoms ofperitoneal
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include pain or swelling in the abdomen,weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia, and fever.
Many of the symptoms
of
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can easily be mistaken forallergies or a common cold.
document.write(" Mesothelioma");
is often discoveredwhen patients think they have one of these other commonillnesses.
How Serious is Mesothelioma?
By the time most infected people become aware they havemesothelioma, it is no longer dormant and becomes extremelyaggressive. In its active phase,
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can travelquickly, and is almost impossible to stop. There are treatmentsused to keep the patient comfortable, but there is currently nocure for mesothelioma. As many as 75% of those who develop thedisease will lose their life within one year. The remainder maylast for up to an additional six months.
This makes it extremely important to detect the disease beforeit enters its active phase.
How is
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diagnosed?
Mesothelioma is often not diagnosed until it reaches an advancedstage. This is because of its long dormancy period, and becauseonce it becomes active the initial symptoms are similar to muchmore comman and less dangerous sicknesses such as colds or theflu. If a patient has a history of exposure to asbestos, then acomplete physical examination is advised. This would normallyinclude x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests.It might also include a CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI. Both ofthese tests give detailed pictures of areas inside the body.
If these tests indicate the probability of mesothelioma, then itis necessary to perform a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Doinga biopsy involves an oncology specialist taking a small sampleof affected tissue and examining it under a microscope for signsof malignancy. Depending on the location of the affected tissue,doing a biopsy can be a relatively traightforward procedure. Itnormally involves the insertion of a small instrument into thesuspect cavity. These surgical devices have both viewing andsample taking capabilities. So the oncologist or surgeon canlook at the cavity from the inside, and then take tissue samplesfrom different areas.
If
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is discovered, the initial tests are followed upwith what is called "staging". This involves more tests todetermine how far the disease has spread.
How is
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treated?
Standard treatments include the normal options available tocancer patients: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.Sometimes, these treatments are combined. If the
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isdiscovered at an early enough stage these treatments cansometimes be effective.
Among the treatments that are used in order to reduce theeffects of the disease are oxygen, postural drainage and painkillers. Many alternative treatment methods are also beingtested, including attempts to strengthen the body's immunesystem. Gene therapy is also being tested in an attempt toattack the problem at the DNA level. Other treatments beingtried and tested include homeopathy, herbs and acupuncture.Unfortunately none of these have been found to be very effectiveonce the disease reaches its aggressive stage.
As with all cancers, early detection is the best defense againstmesothelioma. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos should bealert for symptoms and contact a doctor immediately. Detectingmesothelioma at the earliest stage possible greatly increasesthe chances of beating the disease.
About the author:For more information about
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visithttp://www.mesotheliomaadvisors.com ==> For more articles andreports about
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seehttp://www.mesotheliomaadvisors.com/reports.html ==> RickHendershot is a writer and online publisher. For publishing andpromotion opportunities see http://www.linknet-blogs.com
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