Mesothelioma Lawyers Houston

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects tissue in the lining of the lungs, heart, stomach, and other organs. It often develops in people who inhaled asbestos fibers or were exposed to asbestos in building materials. Many patients who develop mesothelioma die within one year of diagnosis.

At Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law, we’re familiar with the devastating effects that mesothelioma can have on you and your family. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be eligible to receive compensation. Call our mesothelioma lawyers at (800) 444-5000 or fill out a FREE initial consultation form.

SIGNS, SYMPTOMS, AND DIAGNOSIS

Mesothelioma can sometimes take 30-50 years to develop after a person’s first exposure to asbestos. Common symptoms of mesothelioma may include:

-chest pain,
-coughing up blood,
-fatigue,
-fever,
-shortness of breath,
-and more.

Patients with more advanced forms of mesothelioma also may experience abdominal pain, weight loss, blood clots, and jaundice. Because many of these side effects are similar to those of other lung-related conditions, mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose. A chest X-ray or a CT scan can assist in diagnosis, but a biopsy of the affected area is often necessary.

MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENTS

Treating mesothelioma requires expensive and invasive procedures that may offer minimal benefits for the patient. These treatments can include:

Surgery

Surgery to treat mesothelioma is generally limited to patients whose cancer hasn’t spread, and it involves removing the lining of the chest wall. In more extreme cases, parts of the diaphragm, the pericardium, nearby lymph nodes, and the lung on the affected side of the body may be removed as well. Patients who undergo surgery for mesothelioma can experience severe complications.

Chemotherapy

There are two types of chemotherapy used to treat mesothelioma:

Systemic chemotherapy is administered as a pill or injected into a patient’s vein, entering the bloodstream and circulating throughout the body until it targets the cancer.
Intrapleural, or intraperitoneal, chemotherapy involve direct injections into the affected area of the body—usually the chest cavity or the abdominal wall.

Radiation therapy

Radiation is often combined with surgery and chemotherapy and is useful for targeting small tumors that may be difficult or impossible to remove with surgery alone. It can be administered in the hospital or by using an implant placed into or near the tumor.

Mesothelioma cases deserve experienced and knowledgeable legal representation. At Terry Bryant personal injury law, we have the resources to take on any mesothelioma case and get the results you and your family need. Call us today and let us help you get your life back to normal.

Source: http://www.terrybryant.com/environmental-injury/mesothelioma/

Stages Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Stages

How is mesothelioma staged?

Mesothelioma stages are the assessment levels that doctors utilize to determine the extent of the cancer within the body. Mesothelioma is staged between 1 and 4, depending on severity. Stage 1 mesothelioma, for instance, is highly localized disease, with the tumor affecting only a limited area and organ tissue. Stage 4 cancer, on the other extreme, is extensive disease, which has spread far beyond the tumor’s origin, affecting other organ tissue and even blood or bone cells.

Given how rare mesothelioma is, a formal staging classification exists only for pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lung and chest cavity. Staging is determined at diagnosis, using any number of diagnostic procedures. Basic staging can be determined through the use of imaging scans, which will provide cancer specialists a visual representation of the extent of the tumor within the body. If the results of imaging scans are inconclusive or it appears that the disease is not localized, a physician may request the patient to undergo a needle or surgical biopsy, which can determine if the malignant cells have metastasized to the blood or lymph nodes through laboratory testing.

Mesothelioma Staging Systems

Today, there are three primary staging systems used to assess how far mesothelioma cancer has spread and each system uses four stages to describe the progression of the disease. It is the definition of each stage within the various systems that can vary slightly.

Butchart Staging System

The Butchart staging system is the oldest and most commonly utilized staging system for mesothelioma. This system is focused on defining the location of the primary tumor mass in the body for each stage. The system doesn’t address how many cancer cells are present, how big the tumor is or the level of cancer present in the body overall.

TNM Staging System

The TNM Staging System, developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), is similar to staging systems used for other types of cancer. It considers the characteristics of the tumor (T), whether or not lymph nodes are involved (N) and if the cancer has metastasized to other locations in the body (M).

Brigham Staging System

The Brigham Staging System also has four stages of progression and is very similar to the TNM Staging System. The primary difference between the two is that in addition to defining the location of the tumor, and assessing lymph node involvement and the presence of metastatic disease, the Brigham System also helps assess the possibility for and effectiveness of surgical intervention at each stage.

The Stages of Mesothelioma

The four stages of mesothelioma, as noted above, vary slightly within each system but can be generally characterized as indicated below. Please click into the individual pages to get more information about each stage in general and as is it defined within each staging system:

Stage 1 Mesothelioma

In Stage 1 the tumor is localized, there is no lymph node involvement, and the cancer has not spread to other organs or tissues. In this case, the cancer is likely restricted to one side of the pleura and surgical removal is typically feasible.

Stage 2 Mesothelioma

In Stage 2, the tumor is larger and has invaded the lung or diaphragm. Lymph nodes may also be involved. In this case, surgical resection may be possible though the cancer has likely spread to both sides of the pleura.

Stage 3 Mesothelioma

In Stage 3, mesothelioma has invaded a single region or area such as the chest wall, esophagus, and/or lymph nodes, and surgical resection is generally ruled out as a potential beneficial treatment.

Stage 4 Mesothelioma

In Stage 4, mesothelioma has invaded multiple regions such as different areas of the chest wall, the diaphragm and/or the pericardium. Lymph nodes are also involved and the cancer has spread to other organs. Surgical removal provides no value in this case as the disease has likely metastasized well beyond its origin.

Source: http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/stages/