Mesothelioma Claims
A mesothelioma lawsuit can help victims receive compensation for treatment and other expenses. State laws, also known as statutes of limitations limit how long a victim has to file a lawsuit.
Personal injury or wrongful deaths are the most common types of lawsuits. The jury awards financial damages, which can include economic and noneconomic damage.
Diagnosis
Mesothelioma is a rare condition and it can take a number of years before patients receive a diagnosis. Patients usually visit their primary physician with symptoms and an medical history. Doctors will perform a physical examination and ask about asbestos exposure.
When doctors suspect mesothelioma, they will often order imaging tests. These include chest X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These tests offer a thorough examination of the body. These tests can reveal an accumulation of fluid in the lungs or abdomen that is a mesothelioma-related symptoms.
These tests can also be used to determine the type of mesothelioma. The mesothelioma type that is pleural is caused by cancerous cells in the lung lining, called the pleura. The peritoneal type is caused by cancerous cells that reside in the abdominal cavity. In the course of a surgical biopsy, physicians will remove a small piece of tissue from the tumor or affected area to look under a microscope to look for signs of mesothelioma. Doctors can also conduct a cytology test to check for the presence of cancerous cells in liquid samples taken from the stomach or lungs.
A blood test, dubbed the MESOMARK Assay, can determine the amount of mesothelin soluble peptide (SMRP), in the body of the patient. This biomarker has high levels and can indicate mesothelioma.
In turn, these biomarkers could be useful for doctors who are trying to detect mesothelioma early in its development. It’s not a substitute for mesothelioma biopsy, which is the only way to definitively determine whether cancer has been found within the body. Doctors can conduct a non-surgical biopsy to collect fluid from the pleura or stomach with a needle and look it up for mesothelioma cancer cells.
Signs and symptoms
Mesothelioma can occur anywhere on the body in which asbestos-induced cancerous cells have formed. The most common locations are the lungs, abdomen and heart. Patients with pleural mysothelioma feel pain in their chest area as well as hoarseness, difficulty swallowing and a swollen throat. People with peritoneal and pericardial cancer often experience abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. Mesothelioma symptoms can be difficult to identify because the signs are similar to the symptoms of a variety of common illnesses. It can take years after exposure to asbestos before mesothelioma can grow.
CT scans and X-rays can reveal changes in the lungs such as thickening or fluid buildup of the pleura (pleural effusion). MRI and PET scans are also utilized to detect mesothelioma. Blood tests can detect the presence of certain substances within the body that could indicate the presence of mesothelioma.
A doctor can take an amount of fluid or tissue that is accumulating to test it for cancer cells. The doctor can also carry out an operation known as thoracoscopic needle aspiration, which is a procedure that removes a small amount of fluid from the lungs or thoracic cavity. This test is a more non-invasive form of biopsies, and can be done in a medical clinic.
If a doctor has diagnosed mesothelioma the doctor will most likely recommend radiation, chemotherapy and surgery to stop the cancer cells from spreading. The surgery and chemotherapy are generally done in an outpatient setting and radiation may be administered in a clinic or a hospital. Palliative treatments are typically used to manage pain and other symptoms. The treatment options include painkillers as well as regular drainage of fluids, or a tube inserted inside the chest to aid with breathing. It could also involve radiation to prevent the tumor from advancing.
Treatment
For patients diagnosed with mesothelioma treatment can alleviate symptoms and prolong the life. There are many options available, based on the type and stage of mesothelioma. The treatment plan may also differ depending on the amount of asbestos exposure a patient is exposed to.
The symptoms of mesothelioma resemble other illnesses such as the flu or pneumonia. This makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose mesothelioma in the early stages. Most patients be afflicted with symptoms for several months before being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Doctors will conduct a physical exam and inquire about prior asbestos exposure. They will follow up with blood tests and imaging scans to determine the severity of the cancer and its location within the body.
The most frequent mesothelioma form is a lung cancer. People who have been exposed to asbestos in the course of their work as an industrial worker, welder, plumber, electrician or autoworker are the most likely to develop this illness.
Pleural mesothelioma can trigger the accumulation of fluid causing chest pain and difficulty breathing. Surgery can remove excess fluid, improving the quality of life for patients.
Doctors can also use pleurodesis, a procedure that helps prevent future fluid buildup in the lungs. In this procedure the tube is inserted into the pleura to drain fluid and then medication is injected to prevent further buildups. Patients can also opt to have a shunt installed in the body, which is a device used to move fluid from one region of the body to another to absorb.
Other treatments include radiation and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy kills cancerous cells directly. The treatment targets tumors and shrinks them by using high-energy radiation. Patients who aren’t candidates for surgery can undergo targeted therapy, which involves targeting the cancer-causing genes inside of the cancerous cells.
Prognosis
The mesothelioma prognosis is contingent on several factors including the type and location of the cancer as well as the stage at which it was diagnosed and general patient health. Patients with mesothelioma can improve their odds of survival when they seek treatment from a specialist in mesothelioma and follow their treatment plan. In addition, patients with mesothelioma who are part of clinical trials may be able to access new treatments that are still being studied.
Mesothelioma symptoms can be compared to the symptoms of a variety of other diseases and, therefore, they are frequently not diagnosed. Patients may experience breathing issues or abdominal pain, among other symptoms for several months before they are diagnosed. Because these symptoms are mild at first, people can easily confuse them with other illnesses. Therefore, it is important to have any symptoms examined by a physician as soon as you can.
The lining of the chest (pleural mesothelioma) or peritoneum, or in rare instances, the testicles’ membrane can be affected by mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma accounts for most mesothelioma cases, with 85 percent of diagnoses made in patients over 75 years old.
Women and men may have different rates of survival for mesothelioma. This is due to the fact that males are more likely than women to work in areas which expose them to asbestos. However females who have been exposed to mesothelioma are twice more likely to live past five years as male patients. This is likely due the interaction between female hormones and mesothelioma cancer cells. A person’s age also impacts their chances of survival since older patients are more likely to suffer more difficulty recovering from the illness. It’s also important to note that some mesothelioma patients live for years or even a decade or more over their initial prognoses.
Compensation
Mesothelioma compensation assists victims to pay for their medical expenses, lost wages and other costs associated with this asbestos-related illness. This mesothelioma attorney texas settlement is often awarded by the amalgamation of asbestos trust funds, lawsuits and settlements. A mesothelioma lawyer with experience can assist you in determining the amount of compensation that is available to you in your case.
Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma may file a personal injury lawsuit to receive financial compensation from manufacturers of asbestos-related products they were exposed to during their work. Mesothelioma lawsuits can be filed on behalf of a victim by their loved one or family member, or an appointed representative by the court. If a victim has died of mesothelioma or another cancer, a wrongful death lawsuit may be filed by the estate of the victim to collect compensation from those responsible for their loved one’s asbestos exposure.
Because it can take years from diagnosis to exposure, many people diagnosed with mesothelioma carry significant financial burdens resulting from their treatment. Mesothelioma settlements can help those suffering of the disease pay off their debts and also provide for their families’ futures.
Mesothelioma lawsuits and settlements may also be used to compensate victims for their suffering and pain. A mesothelioma lawyer with experience can help victims and their families receive the compensation they deserve.
A mesothelioma lawyer can manage every aspect of a patient’s mesothelioma case, making it as stress-free as they can. At Sokolove Law, our attorneys have secured over $4.7 billion in mesothelioma-related settlements for patients and their families. Contact us today to arrange free consultation on your mesothelioma case. Our lawyers serve clients nationwide. We can meet you at home or in the hospital. Our law firm only gets paid if we receive compensation.