This new bill was created and sponsored by Sen. Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania, and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. They believe the new bill will help end unwarranted lawsuits.

In my opinion the support of Sen. Biden in this case is greatly appreciated for those who have fallen victim to this deadly cancer and are seeking asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits against companies and factories who should be held responsible.

click here to read full article

Read Full Article : click here

1. What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?

• Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

• Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems.? Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

1. Who is at increased risk for developing mesothelioma?

• The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.

As discussed earlier the asbestos exposure is the major risk factor. This doesn?t imply that the person who are not at all exposed to asbestos are not be bothered by this dangerous disease condition. Yes, there are reports of mesothelioma in those who were not at all having any connection to asbestos either directly and indirectly.

Mesothelioma can also be triggered by other substances such as irradiation, erionite [fibrous silicate], and thorium dioxide but the incidences are very rare.

The tumor may also grow along drainage and thoracotomy tracts. As the disease progresses, it often extends into the pulmonary parenchyma, chest wall, and mediastinum. Pleural mesothelioma may extend into the esophagus, ribs, vertebra, brachial plexus, and superior vena cava.

Most malignant mesotheliomas have complex karyotypes, with extensive aneuploidy and rearrangement of many chromosomes. A loss of a single copy on chromosome 22 is the most common abnormality. 

As far as United States of America is concerned the mesothelioma incidence reached 15 people out of ten lakh persons in the year 2004.

The men are more prone for mesothelioma however this disease condition can be noticed women too. The risk of mesothelioma increases as the age increases but the disease can make its appearances at any age.

As far the part of the body is concerned the peritoneum are highly susceptible as nearly one third of the mesothelioma are found to be seen in peritoneum.

Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age

Frequency:

• In the US: Approximately 2500-3000 cases are diagnosed per year.

• Internationally: Frequency is 0.9 cases per 100,000 persons.

Race:

• Mesothelioma has no racial predilection. Asbestos exposure is the most important factor. Race is not a factor.

Sex:

• Malignant mesothelioma is more common in men, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1. It can also occur in children; however, these cases are not thought to be associated with asbestos exposure.

Age:

• Malignant mesothelioma has a peak incidence 35-45 years after asbestos exposure. It commonly develops in the fifth to seventh decade of life.

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy

. If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a peritoneoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity

• If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.

• If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. Staging involves more tests in a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.

Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs?

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS:

 Lung cancer, small cell and non small cell

Drug-induced pulmonary reactions
Mesothelial hyperplasia
Other primary lung neoplasms or metastatic disease
Pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary infection
Reactive airway disease

Treatment options for the management of malignant mesothelioma include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and multimodality treatment.

Surgery in patients with disease confined to the pleural space is reasonable. 

1. Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed.

2. Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).

3. Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are given by injection into a vein (intravenous, or IV). Doctors are also studying the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy).

4. Trimodality therapy This involves a combination of all 3 standard strategies (ie, surgery,      chemotherapy, radiation) 
]]> http://www.dailymesothelioma.com/2008/09/treatments/feed/ http://www.dailymesothelioma.com/2008/09/hello-world/ http://www.dailymesothelioma.com/2008/09/hello-world/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:20:04 +0000 admin http://www.dailymesothelioma.com//?p=1  

Complications:

• The tumor recurrence rate is 50% for those treated with surgery.
• The mortality rate secondary to surgery has improved.

Prognosis:

• Without treatment, mesothelioma is fatal within 4-8 months.
• With trimodality treatment, some patients have survived 16-19 months. A few have survived as long as 5 years, with rates of 14% for all types and 46% for the epithelial type. However, numbers are small.