About Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Mesothelioma is a rare but serious type of cancer that most often occurs in people who have been exposed to asbestos. Inhaled asbestos fibers cause tumors in the mesothelium, the thin membrane that lines the chest and abdomen and surrounds the organs in these areas. Some 2,500 to 4,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases every year, though their exposure occurred decades earlier.
New York ranks third in the United States (behind California and Florida) with the most deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. These diseases are most often seen in areas which have historically had a large manufacturing economy, like New York’s North Country.
If you or a loved one in the North Country area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the lawyers of Belluck & Fox, LLP, can help. The firm’s mesothelioma attorneys have handled mesothelioma cases in every county in New York State, including Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Belluck & Fox provides personalized, professional legal advocacy for its clients and can help you determine and pursue the legal options appropriate for you and your family.
For more information, use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).
Asbestos Exposure
The health hazards of asbestos were documented and known as early as the 1920s. Yet many manufacturers continued to sell it for a variety of industrial uses, and industrial plants like those in upstate New York’s steel and shipbuilding industries continued to expose their workers to the potential harm it posed until the late 1980s. Though the government adopted safety regulations early in the 20th century, many workplaces either ignored them or were lax about enforcing them over the decades. This negligence resulted in thousands of American workers being exposed to asbestos and, many years later, unnecessarily contracting and succumbing to mesothelioma.
Cancer of the Mesothelium
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium, the membrane that surrounds and protects the organs in the chest and abdomen. When tiny, invisible fibers from asbestos are inhaled, they can form tumors in the mesothelium, which is known as “malignant mesothelioma” or, simply, “mesothelioma.” Cancerous cells can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs and may also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body.
Pleural malignant mesothelioma affects the lungs and is the most common form of the deadly disease. Mesothelioma can also affect the pleura, which lines the chest; the peritoneum, which lines the abdominal cavity; the pericardium, which surrounds the heart; or the tunica vaginalis, which is the lining around the testicles.
Mesothelioma Symptoms
One of the problems mesothelioma sufferers in the North Country encounter is that the earliest symptoms may not appear for decades after exposure to asbestos, thus delaying a diagnosis. The symptoms initially noticed are a cough and pain in the chest. As the disease damages the pleura (the lining of the chest), fluid builds up, causing a heaviness or pain and trouble breathing. Such symptoms as fever, abdominal pain and swelling, bowel obstruction, night sweats, weight loss, blood clotting problems and anemia may also be indicated. If tumors spread beyond the mesothelium, the patient may suffer from difficulty swallowing and swelling of the neck or face, as well as further pain.
Buildup of fluid in the peritoneum (the abdominal lining) may result in swelling or abdominal pain in addition to the symptoms outlined above.
Diagnosing Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma has proven to be difficult to diagnose and may require a variety of tests, including but not limited to imaging tests, visualization tests, biopsies and pulmonary function tests. A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan may be necessary to evaluate the extent of the disease once it is diagnosed to determine an appropriate course of treatment.
Treating Mesothelioma
There is no known cure for mesothelioma. As the cancer cells harden the lungs and surrounding area and spread, breathing, sleeping and eating become more difficult. The patient soon begins to find normal life activities increasingly more difficult.
Your doctor may propose surgery to remove the cancerous masses, chemotherapy to destroy the cancer and/or radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells. Doctors usually use two or more of these therapies for the maximum effect.
Pemetrexed, which is also known under its brand name, Alimta, is one medicine used in combination with traditional chemotherapy to reduce tumors, prolong survival and reduce pain.
Mesothelioma Treatment in the North Country
The Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, is one of the country’s leading multidisciplinary cancer care centers. It is one of the only centers in upsate New York offering a team approach to care that allows members of subspecialty teams, oncology physicians and staff from all cancer and diagnostic specialties to regularly collaborate in multidisciplinary disease site conferences. As a division of a research university, the Center conducts numerous ongoing clinical trials of new cancer drugs and therapies, which are available to patients.
Nearby, Buffalo is home to another top mesothelioma treatment center, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Roswell Park is the country’s first cancer center and the only upstate New York facility to hold the National Cancer Center designation of “comprehensive cancer center.”
Contact Our Mesothelioma Legal Team Today
If you or a loved one in the North Country of New York has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the asbestos injury attorneys of Belluck & Fox, LLP, can help. We handle mesothelioma cases from the six counties of the North Country and all of New York. Use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).
