Why Mesothelioma Is Difficult to Diagnose

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this deadly disease, cancerous (malignant) cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most organs of the body. The most common site of cancerous cells accumulation is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the lining of the abdominal cavity (called peritoneum) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Mesothelioma diagnose is often difficult from two reasons.

1. Its symptoms are quite similar to those of a number of other common condition conditions. No very special concerns when people experience persistent coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations, fever, difficulty swallowing. These symptoms are typical of far more common diseases such as pneumonia. Only a previous exposure to asbestos may increase clinical suspicion for mesothelioma.

2. Mesothelioma has a very long latency time period (time between getting the cancer and feeling the symptoms of it). It can stay dormant in your body for many years, displaying symptoms that doesn't require a special medical attention. Many times mesothelioma is diagnosed to late, when treatment methods loses the main capacity of cure.

Currently, is not completely proven why asbestos leads cancer in the mesothelial cells. On the other hand it is still undeterminated how many fibers are needed to be inhaled in order that the cancer tumor to be live. Getting mesothelioma is in close relation on asbestos exposure duration and on the environmental concentration of asbestos as well. Body resistance plays also an important role in mesothelioma equation. It is possible to get mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of asbestos exposure or it would take few years of asbestos inhalation to cause cancer.

Very important for potential mesothelioma patients is to associate the above symptoms with their occupational history. If those symptoms overlap a previous asbestos exposure, the respective person must ask a special medical investigation.

Mesothelioma Legislation: The Fight Against Asbestos

In the eve of last century, asbestos was considered the ideal construction material. It was resistant to fire, isolated electricity conduction was easy to use and above was, was very inexpensive. But problems rose when asbestos was proved to produce fatal diseases when inhaled. One of them is mesothelioma.

This dreadful mesothelioma has taken hundreds of thousands of lives throughout the years. Lives of hard working men that have families. Men that work to bring food on the table for their children and wives. Men that return home covered in asbestos dust and not knowing how lethal it is, hug their children and kiss them good night. Men that were infected with asbestos lung mesothelioma not even knowing what mesothelioma is.

General Statistics

You would think that a mesothelioma legislation would be created in order to ban the horrific use of asbestos. However, The Environmental Protection Agency has still not banned the use of asbestos. In September 2004, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine said that 1.3 million US workers in construction sites are in danger of obtaining pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma from asbestos inhaling.

Although is hasn't been banned, many lawsuits have been filed against the asbestos producing companies since 1929. As a result more than 25 of the richest companies in the US that produced asbestos filed bankruptcy because of all the compensations they had to pay to their mesothelioma diseased workers; one man winning a record of $2.3 million.

Litigation Reaction

Much is being made by the US congress in order to find a common ground between the thousands of plaintiffs and the defending companies. Such as considering legislation act "Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005". This would create a $140 billion trust fund in order to meet civil litigations that would compensate the victims with the malignant mesothelioma.