Articles About Health

If you or someone you love suffers from mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation by the party or parties responsible for the asbestos exposure that caused your illness.

Criteria for Compensation from a Mesothelioma Claim

If you feel you may have a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos, the first step is to see your doctor and receive a medical diagnosis. Some of the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma or lung cancer are:

• Persistent cough
• Unexplained weight loss
• Difficultly swallowing
• Fever
• Excessive tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Hoarseness

If you receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness, the next step is to trace your history of exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma may not manifest until many years after you were exposed, so you and your lawyer will need to investigate employers and locations where you may have encountered asbestos from when you were born until about the year 00. This investigation will hopefully uncover the times and places where you may have been exposed to harmful levels of this toxic substance.

When corporations are named in asbestos lawsuits, they often go on the attack. They may argue that a plaintiff’s illness is caused by factors unrelated to corporate negligence, such as a plaintiff’s smoking or drinking habits or a family history of illness. In the face of this pushback, it is important to document past asbestos exposure as much as possible. Other asbestos lawsuits against these companies may help provide evidence on which to base your claims.

Even if you do have a history of smoking, asbestos may be implicated in your lung cancer. Studies have shown that asbestos fibers act together synergistically with cigarette smoke and cause increased rates of lung cancer among smokers, so you may still have a case even if you are or have been a smoker. Pleural mesothelioma is a rare and dangerous cancer that is only caused by asbestos exposure.

In order to build your legal case, you and your lawyer will also need to document your losses due to your illness. These can include financial hardship, from medical bills and lost income, and pain and suffering. In most cases, these losses are all too easy to document.

Proving your claim may sound like a challenge, but it’s not as hard as it may seem at first glance. Victims of asbestos exposure have been filing suit against negligent corporations since the 1970s and the procedures for proving and litigating a claim are well established. Millions of dollars have been paid out to people suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses, so the precedent for compensating victims is also well established.

Options for Compensation from a Mesothelioma Claim

Once you have established the responsible parties and filed suit, there are several options for receiving compensation for your mesothelioma claim.

• Settlement: Most lawsuits end in settlement before trial. Settlement payments are often less than jury verdicts, but you will receive compensation more quickly and without the risk inherent in a jury trial and the appeals process. Your lawyer and the defendants’ lawyers may choose a mediator to help them come to an agreement on fair compensation for your losses.
• Trial: If your case makes it to court, the outcome is not guaranteed. Even if you win at trial, the defendant may appeal the decision, which can stretch the trial process out by months or even years. However, juries often award higher damages than you could achieve through the settlement process, including punitive damages, which are sometimes greater than the compensation for your losses.
• Asbestos trusts: Some companies that are known to have negligently exposed people to asbestos have declared bankruptcy because of asbestos litigation. In those cases, the bankruptcy court requires the companies to set up an asbestos trust fund to compensate victims. If you are entitled to damages from one of these funds, your lawyer can navigate the paperwork to document your diagnosis and your losses and to ask for compensation. While trust distribution procedures (TDP) may vary from trust to trust, the process is fairly standardized and most trusts will accept the same paperwork.

Work with an Attorney to Secure Your Compensation from a Mesothelioma Claim

Selecting the right attorney to represent you in your mesothelioma claim is an important choice. An attorney with experience in asbestos litigation can help you through the investigation and claims process quickly, as he or she has been through the process many times before. You deserve the best compensation for your injuries and to support your family and you deserve the best lawyer to get you there.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, choosing a lawyer experienced in mesothelioma to represent you can make a big difference in the compensation you receive, so it makes sense to choose the most skilled and qualified asbestos attorney you can find. Some lawyers with general practices look for mesothelioma clients, even though they don’t specialize in asbestos law. Other lawyers promote themselves as mesothelioma attorneys, even though they have little or no experience in the field.

Experience Makes the Difference

There is no substitute for intense hands-on experience when it comes to asbestos litigation. An experienced mesothelioma attorney will have a working knowledge of all the potential avenues of compensation: asbestos trust funds, lawsuits, and settlements.

Attorneys who specialize in asbestos law have working relationships with the major players, including the manufacturers responsible for much of the asbestos exposure in the United States and their legal counsel and asbestos trust administrators and staff. A mesothelioma attorney who has been practicing for a number of years will have a thorough knowledge of the specialized process for moving asbestos litigation through the courts and for expediting mesothelioma claims.

Everyone has to start somewhere and every field of law needs new, young lawyers to join and learn. When you select your mesothelioma attorney, choose a lawyer who works for a firm that specializes in asbestos litigation, where the person who represents you will have the benefit of the shared experience and wisdom of colleagues with decades of experience.

Kazan Law: Pioneering Mesothelioma Attorneys

Kazan Law was founded in 1974, at a time when some of the first mesothelioma lawsuits were making their way through the legal system. Our principals have over 130 years of combined experience representing clients with mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases.

Kazan Law has helped and continues to shape the field of asbestos litigation. Our reputation as pioneering mesothelioma lawyers has won us appointments on the Trustees Advisory Committees of almost all of the 60 asbestos bankruptcy trusts set up to compensate victims of asbestos exposure. We make sure the voices of those suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases are heard by those involved in the administration of those trusts.

Our principals are often invited to deliver keynote speeches and lectures on mesothelioma law because they are considered experts in the field. Not only have we successfully represented thousands of clients injured by asbestos exposure; we have helped educate and train many of the lawyers now working in the field.

In addition, Kazan Law has been recognized as a top mesothelioma law firm because of our accolades, experience, skill, and dedication.

A Culture of Caring

Because of the seriousness of mesothelioma, the awards in asbestos cases are often in the seven-figure range and sometimes in eight figure range. This attracts inexperienced and even, sometimes, unscrupulous attorneys hoping for a fast buck.

At Kazan Law, experience has taught us that winning the maximum compensation for our clients means handling each case with personal care. This comes naturally to our mesothelioma attorneys because this practice is our passion.

Some of our lawyers felt called to become mesothelioma attorneys because they wanted to hold accountable negligent corporations that valued profits more highly than human lives. Some have had personal experience with a family member who suffered from illness due to asbestos exposure.

Every attorney and staff member at Kazan Law has a deep commitment to our clients and to seeking justice for people suffering from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos.

A Winning Record

When you choose a mesothelioma attorney, you also want a firm with that has a history of winning cases. At Kazan Law, our track record of achieving settlements and winning jury verdicts for our clients has placed us in the top echelon among asbestos lawyers.

Kazan Law partner David McClain won the highest jury verdict in a wrongful death lawsuit in California in 2014, achieving an $11.8 million victory for the family of a man who died at age 68 from mesothelioma, after our partner Joe Satterley won a personal injury verdict for him and his wife in 2011 for $17.5 million.

In 2013, a team of Kazan Law mesothelioma attorneys brought home a verdict of more than $27 million for an 82 year old woman and her family. Her husband worked for a company that made insulation products using asbestos. She developed mesothelioma after coming into contact with asbestos when she washed his work clothes.

We have helped thousands of people suffering the impact of a mesothelioma diagnosis navigate the steps needed to recover compensation from asbestos bankruptcy trusts. Our mesothelioma attorneys have won out of court settlements and jury verdicts worth over a billion dollars for our clients.

Kazan Law attorneys became mesothelioma lawyers because they wanted justice for people who become ill because of asbestos exposure. This exposure continued long after corporations knew the health dangers of this toxic mineral. They have stayed in the practice, bringing decades of experience to work with them every day, because helping people with mesothelioma and their families at their time of greatest need is the best job in the world.

Kazan Law is deeply proud and honored to have won the Corporate America M&A Award for best California mesothelioma law firm of 2015. The M&A award, “Best for Asbestos Litigation,” reflects more than four decades of tremendous work which includes a series of historic and financial settlements won from negligent companies who wittingly exposed innocent people to fatal poisoning through asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Law Firm Award– Voted By Peers We are delighted and also grateful to our clients and colleagues for voting us in to the category of best mesothelioma law firm. For us, one of the most meaningful aspects of being selected for the M&A awards is that it is strictly a peer-based list, and winners are chosen based purely on merit. This is not a selection you can buy your way into.

The M&A Awards

In the words of Corporate America: “The M&A Awards identify and commemorate the tireless efforts and stunning achievements of those firms excelling in their industry and outperforming their competitors. These prestigious awards celebrate management brilliance and business acumen across America. Corporate America selects their winning luminaries through a rigorous judging process, during which we leave no stone unturned to ensure that all winners are chosen purely on merit. Winners of these awards are considered among the real leading lights in their industry.”

About Corporate America Publication

Corporate America is a publication designed to inform, entertain, influence, and shape conversations across the nation through high quality editorial, in-depth research and an experienced and dedicated network of advisors. Both their website and magazine provide readers with authoritative news and real-time analyses of major trends and topics influencing today’s corporate landscape.

Mesothelioma Law Firm: Kazan Law

Since 1974, Kazan Law has represented thousands of people suffering from asbestos related illnesses, particularly mesothelioma. Our principals are pioneers in asbestos litigation and have earned a reputation as the most experienced mesothelioma lawyers in California. Our deep foothold in, and understanding of, asbestos bankruptcy reorganizations and asbestos bankruptcy funds is unparalleled.

Winning the M&A award for best mesothelioma law firm in California marks a banner year for Kazan Law that included a number of awards, including the Northern California Super Lawyers 2015, and numerous multi-million dollar wins for the pain and suffering of victims and families with asbestos-related illnesses. To our esteemed colleagues and clients, you have our humble gratitude.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you are entitled to seek justice and financial compensation for your medical care, living expenses, and the future welfare of your family. You need representation from mesothelioma attorneys with proven experience in asbestos law.

Over $30 Billion Set Aside for Mesothelioma Victims

Mesothelioma is caused by careless companies who know better than to expose asbestos into the environment—yet they do it anyway.

You don’t deserve this disease. Even the companies responsible for your diagnosis know that. That’s why they’ve set up trust funds exclusively to pay for the lawsuits filed against them, and won, by the victims of their misdeeds. The combined total worth of all these trusts is over $30 billion.

Finding the Right Mesothelioma Attorneys for Your Case

When looking for an attorney, make sure you find someone who:

• Is seasoned in personal injury and mesothelioma law
• Has extensive experience working with Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts
• Has a track record for bringing in the highest verdicts and settlements for mesothelioma victims
• Is associated with a reputable firm, preferably one that specializes in asbestos law

You Should Receive the Highest Compensation Possible

The best mesothelioma attorneys enjoy a well-earned reputation as pioneers in asbestos law. At Kazan Law, our attorneys have unparalleled expertise in mesothelioma litigation. For more than 40 years, we have represented thousands of people suffering from mesothelioma, and have achieved record-breaking verdicts and settlements for our clients, including these:

• $48 Million Verdict: Won by a former construction worker vs. the Union Carbide Corporation —this 2012 verdict was nationally recognized as the highest mesothelioma verdict on record for the year.
• $27 Million Verdict: Against Owens-Illinois in a lawsuit filed by the former wife of a pipe insulator.
• $11 Million Verdict: Won against ArvinMeritor, Inc. in a wrongful death suit filed by the family of an automobile parts worker. This came after a separate $13 million award in the family’s personal injury suit.

Let us help you.

With the right mesothelioma attorneys by your side, you will get the best compensation possible. To receive a free legal consultation, call us at 888-887-1238 or fill out the form to the right today.

California mesothelioma lawyers are among the most experienced expert advocates for mesothelioma victims in the United States.  California mesothelioma law firms like Kazan Law helped set the standard for mesothelioma law. They continue to set precedents and win major victories for their clients.

If you are trying to find mesothelioma lawyers who are the most likely to help you win the greatest amount of money damages for your case, you should consider hiring California mesothelioma lawyers.  California laws often allow you to file a case with a California mesothelioma lawyer even if you do not live in California and the companies you intend to sue are not based in California.

Why California Mesothelioma Lawyers Are the Go-To Experts

Mesothelioma is a life-threatening illness with only one cause – exposure to asbestos.  Mesothelioma victims stand a good chance of receiving a substantial financial award if their case is handled by a good mesothelioma lawyer.

Mesothelioma victims most likely were exposed to asbestos on the job or through asbestos dust brought home by a family member who worked with asbestos. In nearly all cases, mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos without their knowledge or consent. Who would knowingly allow themselves to be exposed to a substance that can cause a cancerous disease like mesothelioma?  But each case requires substantial proof and evidence.

At first, mesothelioma cases were handled by personal injury lawyers.  California mesothelioma lawyers were among the first to recognize that the complexities of asbestos exposure resulting in mesothelioma demanded a niche law specialty all its own.

Because mesothelioma symptoms can take 10 to 50 years to emerge, a mesothelioma victim often needs help determining and proving which mesothelioma manufacturers and/or distributors may be held liable. It takes knowledgeable experienced mesothelioma lawyers to know how to do this and bring a solid case forward. California mesothelioma lawyers know where to look.  They know which companies manufactured and installed asbestos even if they are no longer in business and which ones have victims’ trust funds.

Having experienced successful California mesothelioma lawyers fighting on your behalf can make a huge difference.  Steer clear of personal injury attorneys without mesothelioma experience and work only with lawyers who specialize in mesothelioma.

How California Mesothelioma Lawyers Save You Money

You may think that you can’t afford California mesothelioma lawyers’, like Kazan Law, with impressive track records of court wins and decades of experience. The opposite is true. You can’t afford not to work with them.

The best California mesothelioma lawyers:

• Do not charge for your initial consultation
• Will free of charge do all necessary research to determine whether you have a case
• Will not take your case unless they believe they can win it for you
• Will not charge you a penny unless they win your case
• Will arrange medical liens for you so you can receive all the medical treatment you need
• Will review all your medical bills to eliminate excess charges and help you keep more of your settlement

California mesothelioma lawyers win some of the biggest financial awards in the nation.  Choosing a mesothelioma lawyer is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for yourself and your family. This is one instance where it makes sense to go with the best.

Ways to Find the Best California Mesothelioma Lawyers

Retaining the best mesothelioma lawyer is vital to not only winning your case but also to winning it with the most substantial award possible.  Finding the best lawyer for your case can seem like an overwhelming task if you are not feeling well and are undergoing medical treatment. But do not put off finding the best mesothelioma lawyer possible.  Consider asking a family member or friend to help you research this important matter.  You need to carefully review the qualifications and recent achievements of any mesothelioma lawyer you are thinking about hiring before making any kind of commitment.

Here are several suggestions:

Check with former co-workers: If you have received a medical diagnosis of mesothelioma, it is probable that some of your co-workers from the job where you were exposed to asbestos have mesothelioma too.  They may already be working with a lawyer with whom they have filed a lawsuit. If they are pleased with their lawyer and how their lawsuit is progressing, that could be a lawyer to consider.

Check the website Nolo’s California listings:  Since the 1970s’, the company Nolo has been providing the public with consumer-friendly legal advice and documents.  In their online listings, they include lawyers’ educational backgrounds, qualifications and legal specialties. Click on their California listings, to find California mesothelioma lawyers.

Check lawyer rating lists:  Some of the best people to rate lawyers are other lawyers.  Anyone can buy advertising but recommendations by one’s peers are harder to come by and  likely to be more accurate. Lists of the best lawyers published online and in print by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers and US News and World Reports Best Lawyers can help you find the best California mesothelioma lawyers.

Research lawyers online:  Be warned that the moment you type the words “mesothelioma” and “lawyer” into an online search, you will be bombarded with aggressive ads making big promises. Unfortunately, many of these ads may be placed by brokers who are hired to fish for clients by lawyers too unaccomplished to attract clients on their own merits.

How do you cut through all the promotional ads to find the best mesothelioma lawyer?  Review the website of each mesothelioma lawyer and mesothelioma law firm carefully. Look for thorough information sensitive to the needs of mesothelioma victims and their families. Check the firm history, background and track record of successful cases.  This information should all be there for you to see.  The best California mesothelioma lawyers provide it.

Our firm has been helping asbestos victims and Vietnam veterans for over 30 years. For details about asbestos disease and information for veterans, navy shipyard workers and their families (especially those who served or worked for the military between 1940 and 1980) please see our Practice Focus: Vietnam Veterans page.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that during World War II, several million people–civilians and those in Navy service–“were exposed to chrysotile products as well as amosite and crocidolite [all are types of asbestos] since these varieties were used extensively in military ship construction.”

The VA web announcement goes on to explain that veterans may be at an increased risk for mesothelioma, a fatal, asbestos-related cancer, as well as other asbestos-related illnesses.

The announcement also explains that veterans who served in some of the following major occupations may have been exposed to asbestos:

• Mining
• Milling
• Shipyard work
• Insulation work
• Demolition of old buildings
• Carpentry and construction
• Manufacture and servicing of friction products, such as clutch facings and brake linings
• Manufacture and installation of products, such as roofing and flooring materials, asbestos cement sheet and pipe products, and military equipment

Asbestos is a toxic material. Exposure can lead to a number of different illnesses including fatal lung cancer and mesothelioma. Please see our FAQ page for more information about asbestos, occupations/industries at-risk for exposures to asbestos, and asbestos diseases including mesothelioma.

The VA has indicated that exposed veterans may be eligible for governmental benefits including: Health Care Benefits, Disability Compensation Benefits, and other benefits including home loans, voational rehabilitations and education.

It’s numbing, in a way, to discover that you have malignant pleural mesothelioma, but this feeling doesn’t last. What comes next? With a little help from friends, family, doctors and legal counsel, your shock can quickly turn to concern, hope and even optimism.

At Kazan, McClain, Lyons, Greenwood and Harley, we’ve spent decades helping the victims of asbestos exposure come to terms with mesothelioma while navigating their legal and medical options. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be wondering how to begin grappling with the illness.

While it is tempting to maintain some ignorance about mesothelioma, the knowledge of what’s to come can be genuinely helpful. It can help you work through your feelings. It can give you time to learn about your palliative care options. It might also calm you down to know more about the road ahead.

For these reasons, most physicians will begin by telling you what to expect from the disease itself. Here, then, is a brief summary of the stages of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Stage I

At this point, the disease is located on one side of the chest only. Though there are four stages of mesothelioma, only Stage I is considered “local.” Because the disease is very aggressive, all the rest are “advanced” by definition. For this reason – and because it can take years or even decades for mesothelioma to show symptoms – few cases of the illness are diagnosed at Stage I.

Mesothelioma Stage II

In Stage II, tumor has spread around the lung lining, into the diaphragm or has invaded the lung itself.

Mesothelioma Stage III

At this stage, mesothelioma may also be found in the tissue surrounding the heart, in the ribs and in the soft tissue and lymph nodes of the chest.

Mesothelioma Stage IV

In this stage of mesothelioma, it may spread nearly anywhere. Typically, it is found in both halves of the chest and in the lower abdomen. It may also involve the spine, the brain or more distant places.

Remember:

• You have plenty of palliative care options to choose from, some of which can greatly extend life expectancy and most of which will make you much more comfortable.

• Ask your doctor all the questions you like. The more information you know, the better.

• Know your legal and clinical options.

Related articles:

Mesothelioma and Pain: What to Expect and How to Manage It

Strategies for Coping with a Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma Treatment Options and Clinical Trials

When dealing with a mesothelioma diagnosis, it can be helpful to know more about how the disease is connected to asbestos exposure. At Kazan, McClain, Lyons, Greenwood and Harley, we know that this knowledge not only allows you to seek the most appropriate medical treatment, but also gives you a better idea of the legal options available to you and your family.

Sometimes it can be hard to imagine the risks associated with certain kinds of employment. For that reason, researchers have conducted hundreds of occupational case studies over the years. These can pinpoint which types of employment carry the greatest risk of asbestos exposure and lung disease.

Early reports on asbestos risks

The first report to really hammer home the connection between asbestos and mesothelioma was published in 1960. Its authors, a trio of UK pathologists, noticed something odd in South Africa: more than 30 cases of mesothelioma, all of them clustered in the Asbestos Hills outside of Cape Province.

Using the case-control method – in which scientists survey people with a rare disease and look for shared risk factors – the group boiled the cause down to one variable: asbestos exposure. This paper unleashed a flood of ensuing case studies, each of which examined the asbestos-related risks associated with certain occupations.

Occupations at risk for asbestos exposure

Because of these reports, today we know that these occupations tend to have the highest rates of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM):

• Construction workers
• Shipbuilders
• Firefighters
• Insulation installers
• Heating equipment handlers
• Brake pad manufacturers
• Demolition workers

Unfortunately, it does not take a huge dose of asbestos to cause the kind of cell damage that is linked to MPM. A case-control study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that even though large amounts of asbestos exposure are extraordinarily dangerous, relatively small doses of the fiber can still be more than enough to engender the fatal lung disease.

Another case study appearing in the British Journal of Cancer backed up this idea. Its authors surveyed more than 500 men with mesothelioma, all of whom had been plumbers, carpenters, electricians, painters or constructions workers. The team found that the vast majority of these patients had had occupational asbestos exposure.

However, very few had been around the fiber for all that long. In fact, just four men reported having worked around asbestos for more than five years.

For anyone who thinks they have been in contact with asbestos, however briefly, it is important to get regularly checked by a doctor. After all, the lag time between asbestos exposure and a diagnosis of mesothelioma can be deceptively long – often on the order of three or four decades.

Roughly a century ago, German immunologist Paul Ehrlich was staining cell cultures when he had a radical thought. He wondered, if staining techniques could target a single strain of bacteria, then what’s to stop scientists from eventually developing a “magic bullet” treatment for every disease, one that is highly targeted and has few or no side effects? As a chemotherapy pioneer, Ehrlich even broadened this notion to include cancers.

Though he never saw anything like it in his lifetime, today, Ehrlich’s dream may have been finally realized. That’s because scientists are currently testing an experimental form of cancer treatment, called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

This unusual form of cancer treatment combines homing ability of human antibodies with the cancer-killing power of chemo drugs or cytotoxins. Such innovations may soon be the “magic bullet” for treating malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and other severe diseases.

A new direction in mesothelioma research

ADCs have gotten quite a bit of attention lately, and for good reason. Clinical studies have shown that a such drugs can have remarkable tumor-shrinking properties, while causing fewer and less severe side effects than traditional chemotherapies.

In fact, ADCs are such a hot topic right now that they recently appeared as the subject of a New York Times article on cutting-edge breast cancer therapies.

Stephen Evans-Freke, a general partner of a pharma investment firm, told the newspaper that preliminary ADC trial results make them look exceedingly promising – for patients and pharmaceutical manufacturers alike.

“I don’t think there is a major pharma or a mid-sized pharma with interest in cancer that doesn’t have [an ADC] program or isn’t scrambling to put one together,” he explained.

So what are ADCs and how do they work?

Two halves, linked

At its simplest, an ADC consists of three things. First, a human antibody (or immune protein) that identifies a specific form of cancer. This is then attached to a chemotherapy agent or cytotoxin. The third bit, and a critical one at that, is the small molecule that links the first two.

When introduced into the bloodstream, ADCs do not attack indiscriminately, they way traditional chemo agents do. Instead, their targeted antibodies allow them to seek out tumors and deliver the cytotoxins, which then kill malignant cells.

According to the Society of Toxicology, this unique construction makes ADCs something of a molecular guided missile, increasing the maximum tolerated dose and decreasing the minimum effective dose.

And their targeted nature gives ADCs unmatched potential. In an article for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (GEBN), pharma developer ImmunoGen estimated that ADCs are often between 1,000 and 10,000 as potent as typical chemo drugs.

All these characteristics could make these novel formulations a welcome new weapon in the fight against mesothelioma.

A not-so-novel idea, reborn

While ADCs may sound brand-new, they have been in the works since the 1980s. However, according to GEBN, they suffered a decline in popularity that lasted nearly 25 years. It only ended around 05, when clinical trials began revealing the wonders that such drugs can accomplish.

Today, dozens of ADCs are in development, at least one for every major type of cancer – MPM included. In 2011, researchers from Bayer Pharmaceuticals registered BAY 94-9343, an ADC that targets mesothelin, a protein that is overproduced in all forms of mesothelioma.

Using a cytotoxin called DM4, this drug binds to and kills only cells that produce mesothelin – and the more mesothelin a malignant cell creates, the more likely it is to absorb BAY 94-9343 and die.

At Kazan, McClain, Lyons, Greenwood and Harley, we know that it’s treatment developments like this that give MPM patients continued hope of living a longer, fuller life.

Related articles:

Mesothelioma Clinical Trials: What They Are, How They Work, How to Participate

5 Doctors Receive Mesothelioma Research Grant Awards

Filing a mesothelioma lawsuit should be a priority for you and your family if you are reading this.  When you receive a mesothelioma diagnosis, it is because you worked with asbestos or because you lived with someone who worked with asbestos. That means you’ve got a good chance of winning a large amount of money […]

Facing a disease such as malignant mesothelioma means tackling some major changes in life. At Kazan, McClain, Satterley, Lyons, Greenwood & Oberman, we want you to know that just because you have this illness doesn’t mean you have to forget about annual holiday traditions, such as making New Year’s resolutions.

Admittedly, this may be a tricky venture. Most people’s resolutions are related to improving their health: better diet, smoking cessation, weight management, and so on. When you have cancer, such as mesothelioma, such resolutions are wonderful ideas.

The pitfall with resolutions is people’s tendencies to break them. Some individuals are not bothered if they fall into this trap, but others may get down on themselves and feel their self-esteem wear down.

There are several ways to avoid this and look forward to the new year with your head held high.

Self-reflection can do you a world of good
Making promises is the easy part. Keeping them is a whole other story.

Experts from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center point out that keeping a New Year’s resolution requires more than willpower. In fact, it takes some prep work before a resolution is even made.

In order to avoid the emotional fallout of not being able to keep a resolution, it may be helpful to do some self-reflection about why your goal is so important and whether it’s worth the trouble. After such a reflection, you may realize you are not ready to make this resolution, and that’s okay. But if at some point you feel you are ready, you have to consider whether you have the skills and social support to follow through.

What resolutions should you make, and how do you keep them?
For those living with mesothelioma, the usual resolutions to live a healthier life – nutritious food, more exercise and smoking cessation – are classics for a reason: they make you feel better. Eating more fruits and vegetables will help manage your weight and deliver vitamins that support your immune system. Physical activity may keep your muscles functional while helping your body to take in more oxygen.

And when you have a respiratory disease, giving up smoking is a no-brainer.

In order to improve your success in keeping your resolution, it helps to be as specific and realistic as possible. Instead of saying, “I’m going to exercise more,” tell yourself, “I’m going to go walking after breakfast for 30 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.” Remember that beginning new habits takes time, and seeing results may be a slow process. Start out gradually, and try to keep a positive and patient attitude.

Also, you should make sure you’re doing things you enjoy. If you want to consume more vegetables, make sure you’re eating produce that you actually like.

You can also boost your success by scheduling a day to start your resolution, and making preparations before that day. For example, if you’re going to quit smoking, take the time to get rid of all of your cigarettes and talk to your doctor about nicotine cessation aids.

It can be easy to get derailed by changes in your schedule caused by illness or a vacation. You can plan ahead for such situations, though. If your resolution involves dieting, keep healthy meals on standby in the freezer so you don’t have to cook. If you’re trying to exercise more, try to schedule a workout session during your vacation ahead of time

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects cells found in the mesothelium, a protective membrane surrounding the majority of the body’s internal organs. The cells that make up this membrane protect the organs by making a special fluid that allows the organs to move and, in particular, help the lungs to move during breathing.

The vast majority of people who develop this deadly disease have inhaled asbestos particles, often through their jobs. In fact, a history of asbestos exposure in the workplace is reported in approximately 70 to 80 percent of all mesothelioma cases. In addition to mesothelioma, the inhalation of the deadly mineral fibers can cause lung cancer and asbestosis. The World Health Organization estimates that asbestos-related diseases kill approximately 107,000 people around the world each year.

Asbestos was originally prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans due to its resistance to fire and use as an insulator. Use of the mineral increased rapidly during the 19th century, particularly during the Industrial Revolution. By the mid-1930s, however, it was known that exposure to asbestos could cause a range of serious illnesses.

Mesothelioma Facts

Mesothelioma comes in three varieties:

• Pleural: most common (75% to 80% of diagnosed cases), originates within the chest and impacts the lungs
• Peritoneal: second most common (15% to 20% of diagnosed cases), originates in the abdomen and can involve the testicles, or spread to liver, spleen or bowel
• Pericardial: very rare (less than 2%), originates around the heart

Mesothelioma Prognosis

While mesothelioma is relatively rare, approximately 2,500 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. And unfortunately, the average survival time of those with malignant forms of the disease is ten to fourteen months. The prognosis for a long life expectancy is not good even when symptoms appear early and treatment begins quickly.

Other Mesothelioma Facts

• It usually takes a long time before symptoms of mesothelioma appear (on average 20 to 50 years)
• There is a difficulty in diagnosing mesothelioma because its symptoms are common to many types of infections and cancers
• There is often a challenge of putting together the puzzle pieces for an accurate diagnosis
• Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women
• The risk of developing mesothelioma increases with age, although anyone can get mesothelioma
• Treatment depends on cancer location, the patient’s general health and disease stage
• Standard treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. In some instances, these are combined

While treatments are available for some people with mesothelioma, they are mostly used to improve the quality of life of people whose survival prospects are typically measured in months and not years.

Mesothelioma Causes

The only real mesothelioma causes come from asbestos fibers that enter the body in the air we breathe. Like other dust particles that we breathe, most of the asbestos fibers are stopped long before they enter the small airways of the lungs. For example, we sometimes choke when we enter a dusty room. We literally cough up the mucus that contains most of the irritating substances. However, because asbestos fibers are so small and thin, many of them pass all the way down to the small airways and air sacs that fill the lung.

Once the fibers are inside the lungs, the body’s defense mechanisms try to break them down and remove them. However, many fibers still remain in the body and are potential disease-causing agents:

• Each fiber is a foreign body and inflammations develop as our bodies try to neutralize, break down or move the sharp, irritating asbestos fibers, just like splinters that get stuck under the skin.
• These processes lead to development of the various kinds of asbestos-caused diseases.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma usually appear between 20 and 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos. Recognizing early symptoms of malignant mesothelioma may aid in diagnosis. Many mesothelioma symptoms mimic symptoms of other, less serious illnesses, delaying diagnosis even further.

Malignant mesothelioma is diagnosed in one of three forms: pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial.

Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms

Primary symptoms of pleural—lung membrane—mesothelioma include:

• Shortness of breath
• Coughing, wheezing or hoarseness
• Blood in coughed up fluid
• Fatigue or anemia
• Chest pain due to accumulation of fluid around the lungs, in the pleural space

Pleural mesothelioma symptoms are shared by many other illnesses—if standard treatments for bronchitis, the flu and pneumonia do not bring relief, your doctor should take steps to rule out mesothelioma as a possible cause.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms

Primary symptoms of peritoneal—abdominal lining—mesothelioma include:

• Abdominal pain
• An abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen (ascites)
• Bowel obstruction
• A mass in the abdomen
• Anemia

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma often do not appear until the advanced stages of the illness, and even then resemble symptoms of other illnesses.

Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms

Primary symptoms of pericardial—heart membrane—mesothelioma include:

• Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat
• Chest pain
• Heart murmur
• Difficulty breathing, even at rest or lying down
• Fever or night sweats
• Cough
• Fatigue

Pericardial mesothelioma makes up fewer than six percent of all recorded mesothelioma cases. Like pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma closely resemble the symptoms of other heart conditions, usually delaying diagnosis.

The importance of mesothelioma screening

The National Cancer Institute’s definition of screening for cancer is the examination or testing of people for early signs of certain type of cancer even though they have no symptoms – this is the best way to achieve a diagnosis as early as possible. Early detection and diagnosis is particularly important for people with historical exposure to asbestos due to the latency period (up to 50 years) before which symptoms of malignant mesothelioma cancer may become apparent.

Sometimes more invasive tests are required which may include screening methods for diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases using various imaging tests. In addition to regular X-rays, imaging tests include:

• Computed Tomography / CT Scan. Computed tomography is a recently developed special radiographic technique. Usually a spiral CT scan, it produces a clear cross-sectional image allowing a radiologist to see distinct aspects of the lung or pleura not readily apparent from a standard X-ray image.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Positron emission tomography (PET)

Mesothelioma Screening Methods to Identify Asbestos-Related Disease

After a preliminary physical examination, your doctor may employ the following procedures to find out more about your condition:

• Thoracoscopy – A scope is used to look inside your chest cavity. A small cut will be made in your chest and a small piece of tissue may be removed for examination (biopsy) during the procedure. While you may feel some pressure, there is usually no pain.
• Peritoneoscopy uses another specialized instrument that allows for examination inside your abdomen. A scope is inserted into an opening made in the abdomen, and a biopsy specimen may also be taken.
• If the presence of fluid is indicated by either of these procedures, the doctor may drain it by inserting a needle into the affected area. Removal of chest fluid is called thoracentesis. Removal of abdominal fluid is call paracentesis.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals that can be separated into fibers. The fibers are strong, durable, and resistant to heat and fire. They are also long, thin and flexible, so that they can even be woven into cloth.

Because of these qualities, asbestos has been used in thousands of consumer, industrial, maritime, automotive, scientific and building products. During the twentieth century, some 30 million tons of were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the United States.

There are several types of asbestos fibers, of which three have been used for commercial applications:

1. Chrysotile, or white, comes mainly from Canada, and has been very widely used in the US. It is white-gray in color and found in serpentine rock.
2. Amosite, or brown, comes from southern Africa.
3. Crocidolite, or blue, comes from southern Africa and Australia.

Amosite and crocidolite are called amphiboles. This term refers to the nature of their geologic formation.

Other asbestos fibers that have not been used commercially are tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite, although they are sometimes contaminants in asbestos-containing products. It should be noted that there are non-fibrous, or non-asbestiform, variants of tremolite, anthophylite and actinolite, which may not have the same adverse health consequences that result from exposure to commercial forms of asbestos.

Why is asbestos still a problem?

Asbestos is still a problem because a great deal of it has been used in the United States and elsewhere, because many asbestos-containing products remain in buildings, ships, industrial facilities and other environments where the fibers can become airborne, and because of the serious human health hazards of inhaling the fibers.

Many Americans believe that use of asbestos in products was banned years ago. The fact is that asbestos-containing products are still being imported and sold in this country, continuing to endanger people who may come in contact with such products. A majority of these products are imported from Canada and Mexico, two countries where asbestos is still used. Further, not all imported products are clearly labeled with proper content information.

Asbestos Products

What is common to many asbestos products is that they were (are) used to contain heat (i.e. thermal insulation.) It is impossible to list all of the products that have, at one time or another, contained asbestos.

Common asbestos products:

• pipe-covering
• insulating cement
• insulating block
• asbestos cloth
• gaskets
• packing materials
• thermal seals
• refractory and boiler insulation materials
• transite board
• asbestos cement pipe
• fireproofing spray
• joint compound
• vinyl floor tile
• ceiling tile
• mastics
• adhesives
• coatings
• acoustical textures
• duct insulation for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
• roofing products
• insulated electrical wire and panels
• brake and clutch assemblies

Some of these products contained a very high proportion of asbestos, while others contained small amounts.

Asbestos Exposure

Exposure to asbestos fibers can cause asbestos-related diseases including malignant mesothelioma and other cancers. A potentially dangerous asbestos exposure can result from very small fibers at low exposure levels. Most such exposure would likely have occurred prior to the 1980s, but the latency period can be up to 50 years for most asbestos-related cancers to develop.

Many people have come into contact with asbestos fibers at their jobs. This is occupational exposure. There is also a risk to the family members of those working in at-risk occupations; this exposure is called paraoccupational exposure. Approximately 70% to 80% of the cases of mesothelioma are believed to be the direct result of easily identified occupational or paraoccupational exposure to asbestos fibers.

A third group of people are also at risk, not from their job, but from where they live. Sites likely to have asbestos include refineries, power plants, factories, shipyards, steel mills and demolished buildings. Those who live nearby can be exposed by the release of asbestos fibers that contaminate their residential neighborhoods.

Specific Industries and Occupations with Asbestos Exposure Risk

Industries / Job Locations:

• Asbestos product manufacturing (insulation, roofing, building, materials)
• Automotive repair (brakes & clutches)
• Construction/contractors
• Maritime
• Oil refineries
• Power plants
• Railroads
• Shipyards / ships
• Steel mills

Occupations:

• Automotive mechanics
• Boiler makers
• Bricklayers
• Building Inspectors
• Carpenters
• Electricians
• Hod carriers
• Insulators
• Iron workers
• Laborers
• Longshoremen
• Maintenance workers
• Merchant marines
• Millwrights
• Painters
• Plasterers
• Plumbers
• Roofers
• Sheet metal workers
• Steam fitters
• Tile setters
• U.S. Navy veterans
• Welders