Mesothelioma Lawyers - What You Need to Know About Your Mesothelioma Case

Mesothelioma patients and their families often seek compensation for medical expenses as well as lost wages. A mesothelioma lawyer can help you decide on the best legal strategy.

Most mesothelioma claims are filed as personal injury or lawsuits for wrongful death. An attorney for mesothelioma can look over your case, collect documentation and file the lawsuit.

Diagnosis

The first step in diagnosing mesothelioma is to have your doctor conduct an examination. They will ask you about your prior exposure to asbestos and any symptoms you're experiencing. Before examining for cancer, they will first determine if you have a common illness such as pneumonia.

If your doctor suspects you have mesothelioma, they'll order imaging scans of your chest and abdomen. These tests take pictures of your organs by using x-rays or CT scans. These scans may reveal fluid buildup in the abdomen or lungs (ascites). They can also help find mesothelioma tumors, and determine if they have developed into a disease.

These tests can reveal possible indications of mesothelioma. However, the only way to confirm a diagnosis is to collect tissue samples and study them under a microscope. This is referred to as a biopsy. A pathologist is an expert in interpreting laboratory tests and analyzing tissues, cells and organs for the diagnosis of the disease.

Mesothelioma cancer typically develops in the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity, but it can also grow within the heart. If it develops in the heart, it is known as mesothelioma of the pericardium. These tumors can be difficult to identify and are more frequent than pleural mesothelioma.

Doctors may use a needle to drain a small amount of fluid from the location where there is a build-up of fluid. They will then test the fluid for mesothelioma cells and examine a portion of your lung for mesothelioma tumors.

They may also request blood chemistry tests to determine how your liver, kidneys and thyroid are functioning. One specific test they could run is a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test. LDH levels that are higher than normal can be a sign of cell damage, and could be a sign for mesothelioma.

Treatment

The kind of treatment you receive will be based on the stage of your mesothelioma as well as the kind of cells you have. Pleural mesothelioma can affect the lung's lining as well as the chest wall, whereas mesothelioma affecting the peritoneal lining of the abdomen. Most patients with pleural and peritoneal cancers will survive between 19 and 21 months following their diagnosis.

The doctor treating you will assess you and review your medical history to look for mesothelioma-related symptoms, including the amount of fluid in your chest or abdomen. A physical exam may be performed to determine if the cancer has spread. Other tests include a CT scan or chest x-rays to determine location of the cancer and whether it has spread to the heart. A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. A surgeon can collect an x-ray of the affected area of tissue to be examined using either VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery), which is a keyhole procedure, or a needle-guided, sterile biopsy under local anaesthetic in which a small piece of tissue is removed using an instrument guided by a CT scan.

Mesothelioma doctors will also use imaging and blood tests to determine the best method of treatment. The tests can be used to determine if you're suffering from mesothelioma cancer cells or if the cancer is growing rapidly. They can also help determine if you're a good candidate for chemotherapy, which is typically utilized in conjunction with surgery or radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays or other forms of radiation to kill mesothelioma cells and shrink tumors. It is typically done as a part of chemotherapy and can be administered internally or externally. The cancer doctors inject radioactive substances in the form of seeds, needles or wires in the mesothelioma.

The side effects of chemotherapy drugs used to treat mesothelioma are many. They can cause nausea and vomiting and hair loss. They may also increase the chances of contracting an infection and make you feel tired and decrease the number of healthy blood cells in your body. Consult your physician about these and other possible side effects that could be caused by your medications.

Clinical trials

Scientists are always looking for better ways to diagnose and treat mesothelioma. Clinical trials offer the chance to test treatments that may be more effective than the ones doctors currently use. The goal is to improve the survival rate and find an effective cure.

Doctors also study new treatment methods, including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and immunotherapy. Combining these methods offers patients more options. Many mesothelioma patients are involved in clinical trials, especially if standard therapies do not aid them.

Clinical trials can take months, weeks or even years. In the course of the trial, participants receive an experimental drug or therapy and monitored closely by experts. The majority of drugs must go through several stages of clinical trials before the FDA approves the use of these drugs in general.

Some of these studies test new forms of chemotherapy. The newest treatments are targeted to specific genetic pathways that are present in cancer cells. The results of these studies could aid scientists identify better treatment options for mesothelioma as well as other types of cancers.

Researchers are also studying ways to reduce the risk of mesothelioma. In studies involving populations at high risk researchers are examining whether lifestyle changes or certain medications can reduce cancer risk. Certain of these trials are investigating ways to detect mesothelioma earlier people.

Doctors are also studying surgery as well as other surgical procedures for mesothelioma. This includes extrapleural pneumonectomy which removes the affected lung and pleura, pleurectomy that includes the removal of pulmonary decortication, which eliminates part of the chest wall and diaphragm and trimodality therapy, which uses surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Certain doctors are also studying the effectiveness of immunotherapy for mesothelioma. This type of treatment involves injecting a mesothelioma sufferer with an anti-inflammatory drug that targets cancer cells. Immunotherapy can be used to treat advanced pleural mesothelioma and increase the chance of survival for a patient. It is also being researched as a possible treatment of first-line for mesothelioma peritoneal. A randomized controlled study of the mesothelioma immunotherapy drug tremelimumab is in the beginning. Participants are compared with those who received placebo. The tremelimumab group has a better overall survival rate than the placebo group.

Settlements

The vast majority of mesothelioma cases are settled out of court. But, it's important to prepare as if your case will go to trial and be able to have an experienced mesothelioma attorney by your side throughout the process.

The goal of a mesothelioma lawsuit is to provide the victims and their families for the losses that result from this illness. Compensation can be used to pay for future and past medical expenses as well as lost earnings, travel costs to seek treatment, and more. In some cases, the settlement may also include non-economic damages, such as suffering and pain or loss of companionship.

Mesothelioma is a chronic disease that requires continual treatment. This can result in high medical bills and the financial strain that comes with not being able work can make it difficult to pay for essential expenses. A settlement or another award could alleviate this stress, allowing patients to focus on their recovery.

A mesothelioma claim that is successful could bring asbestos Legal producers to account and force them pay for their negligent actions. They knew their products were hazardous yet they chose to put profit before safety. Mesothelioma lawsuits provide a means for the victims and their loved ones to get justice against the companies responsible for their mesothelioma.

The number of defendants in a mesothelioma case or wrongful death case, and the amount of money available, can determine the amount of compensation that is given. The mesothelioma lawyers of Baron & Budd know how to construct strong cases that are more likely to result in an outcome that is favorable to the settlement or Asbestos legal verdict.