Mesothelioma And Asbestos Disease And Mesothelioma Treatment Options The Law Offices of Peter T. Enslein is one of the relatively few American law firms with long experience in handling asbestos lawsuits. If you come to us afflicted with an asbestos disease, we will perform the painstaking investigation to find out how and where you were exposed to asbestos, what the product was and who manufactured it. The Law Offices of Peter T. Enslein's asbestos library contains valuable information on nearly all asbestos product manufacturers and their products. We will refer you to doctors who are highly regarded experts in diagnosing asbestos disease-doctors who have maintained close working relationships with us for a long time. And, if your claim is supported by our investigation, we will sue the party responsible for your suffering and fight for your just compensation. At The Law Offices of Peter T. Enslein, we fight your battles every day. Mesothelioma is an asbestos disease of particular concern to us. It is a cancer that kills most every victim within a few years. And we have learned from representing many mesothelioma victims that the disease is not confined to the usual occupations discussed in this website. To be sure, there are high-risk jobs. We think of the middle-aged man with young children who recently came to us. He has mesothelioma with a history of shipyard work-an occupation long associated with asbestos disease. But we also think of the doctor who came to us not realizing that his mesothelioma had been caused by exposure to asbestos in the summer job he held while he was a medical student, decades earlier. We think, too, of the minister who died from mesothelioma. In the course of representing his widow, our detective work proved that he had been exposed to large amounts of asbestos dust long ago during divinity school, in a then newly-constructed dormitory littered with the residue of recently installed products. Our point is this: if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and pulmonary fibrosis pneumoconiosis come to us. Come to the law firm that prides itself on digging for answers and getting results, where tough cases have made tough lawyers. Come to us. We fight your battles every day. Disease Caused by Asbestos How is asbestos disease caused? All asbestos disease results from the inhalation or swallowing of the tiny fibers of which asbestos consists. How does the risk of inhaling or swallowing asbestos occur? Inhalation or swallowing of asbestos occurs when its fibers become airborne. The air is filled with these fibers in the mining of asbestos because blasting, drilling and the like "launch" clouds of fibers by the millions. In construction and maintenance work, "disturbing" asbestos-containing products by cutting, sawing, sanding or mixing them likewise releases fibers. Finally, as some asbestos-containing products deteriorate with use or age, fibers imbedded in the substance with which they are combined simply escape into the air. Why is inhaling or swallowing these fibers harmful? When drawn into the lungs and other organs, some asbestos fibers tend to remain there permanently. In the lungs and the tissue that surround the chest and stomach, asbestos fibers cause a scarring process that can lead to disease. What types of disease are caused by asbestos? The three most common types of disease that result from asbestos exposure are asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. What is asbestosis? A chronic inflammation of the lungs that makes breathing difficult on a permanent basis, can result in enlargement of the heart and can result in death. What is mesothelioma? Cancer of the tissue lining the body cavity -- that is, the chest or stomach. Mesothelioma is virtually always fatal. How much asbestos exposure is required to cause disease? Asbestosis usually results from exposure over many years. Mesothelioma can result from much shorter exposure. Moreover, the greater the amount of asbestos exposure, the greater the likelihood of contracting either disease. Finally, asbestos disease has a long "latency period," which means that decades can pass between the date of initial asbestos exposure and the date when disease occurs. The foregoing facts are as accurate as generalizations can be. It is important to note that most physicians and scientists say there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma Treatment Options The following information regarding the mesothelioma treatment options and sources has been provided by the National Cancer Institute. (NCI) How is mesothelioma treated? There are conventional treatments for all patients with malignant mesothelioma. Three kinds of treatment are used: Surgery. Surgery is a common treatment for malignant mesothelioma. The doctor may remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. Depending on how far the cancer has spread, a lung also may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing, is also removed.
Radiation Therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may be administered non-invasively (external radiation therapy) or by implanting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes in the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy). If fluid has collected in the chest or abdomen, the doctor may drain the fluid out of the body by putting a needle into the chest or abdomen and using gentle suction to remove the fluid. If fluid is removed from the chest, this is called thoracentesis. If fluid is removed from the abdomen, this is called paracentesis. The doctor may also put drugs through a tube into the chest to prevent more fluid from accumulating.
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. In mesothelioma, chemotherapy may be put directly into the chest (intrapleural chemotherapy). Intraoperative photodynamic therapy is a new type of treatment that uses special drugs and light to kill cancer cells during surgery. A drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to light is injected into a vein several days before surgery. During surgery, to remove as much of the cancer as possible, a special light is used to shine on the pleura. This treatment is being studied for early stages of mesothelioma in the chest.
What factors determine the type of treatment used? The type of treatment used depends on where the cancer is, how far it has spread and the patient's age and general health. What are the stages of mesothelioma? Localized Mesothelioma
Stage I -- The cancer is found in the lining of the chest cavity near the lung and heart or in the diaphragm or the lung.
Advanced Mesothelioma
Stage II : The cancer has spread beyond the lining of the chest to lymph nodes in the chest.
Stage III: Cancer has spread into the chest wall, center of the chest, heart, through the diaphragm, or abdominal lining, and in some cases into nearby lymph nodes.
Stage IV: Cancer has spread to distant organs or tissues.
Recurrent Malignant Mesothelioma
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the lining of the chest or abdomen or in another part of the body. What is the treatment for Localized Mesothelioma (Stage I)? If the cancer is only in one place in the chest or abdomen, treatment will probably be surgery to remove part of the pleura and some of the tissue around it. If the cancer is found in a larger part of the pleura, treatment may be one of the following: Surgery to remove the pleura and the tissue near it to relieve symptoms, with or without radiation therapy after surgery.
Surgery to remove sections of the pleura, the lung, part of the diaphragm, and part of the lining around the heart.
External beam radiation therapy to relieve symptoms.
A clinical trial of surgery followed by chemotherapy given inside the chest.
A clinical trial of surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.
What is the treatment for Advanced Mesothelioma (Stages II, III and IV)? Treatment may be one of the following: Draining of fluid in the chest or abdomen (thoracentesis or paracentesis) to reduce discomfort. Drugs also may be put into the chest or abdomen to prevent further collection of fluid.
Surgery to relieve symptoms.
Radiation therapy to relieve symptoms.
Chemotherapy.
A clinical trial of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy given in the chest or abdomen.
What is the treatment for Recurrent Mesothelioma? Treatment depends on many factors, including where the cancer recurred and what treatment the patient received before. Clinical trials are testing new treatments. Are there experimental therapies for mesothelioma? Yes. There are a number of experimental treatments for mesothelioma, including: Photodynamic Therapy. This treatment is in the experimental stage for the treatment of mesothelioma, however, it has shown promising results in the treatment of other cancers. Photodynamic therapy (also called PDT, photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy) is a treatment for some types of cancer. It is based on the discovery that certain chemicals known as photosensitizing agents can kill one-celled organisms when the organisms are exposed to a particular type of light. PDT destroys cancer cells through the use of a fixed-frequency laser light in combination with a photosensitizing agent. After the cells have been sensitized, fiberoptic cables are placed in the body (usually through open-chest surgery) in order to focus light of just the right frequency on the tumor. This causes the photosensitizer to produce a toxic oxygen molecule which kills the cell.
Gene Therapy. This treatment is in the experimental stage for the treatment of mesothelioma. Using an adenovirus for delivery, a "suicide gene" is inserted directly into the mesothelioma tumor. This gene makes the tumor cells sensitive to a normally ineffective drug, such as glanciclovir. Treatment with the drug then destroys only cancer cells and leaves healthy cells alone.
What are some of the experimental clinical trials for treating mesothelioma that are presently ongoing? The following is a list of web sites that list clinical trials of experimental mesothelioma treatments and the trials' principal investigators. Click on the web sites to obtain up to date and detailed information about some of the mesothelioma clinical trials that are currently on going: Please note that The Law Offices of Peter T. Enslein provides access to other sites on the Internet as a convenience to our readers. Please read our Disclaimer before you visit these sites. For more information on photodynamic therapy consult the following web pages: National Cancer Institute - Photodynamic Therapy University of Pennsylvania - Photodynamic Therapy
For more information on gene therapy consult the following web pages: University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center - Gene Therapy
For general information, consult the following web pages: National Cancer Institute - Trial Search Center Watch - Clinical Trials Listing Service University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Protocol Finder
Q. How can I learn more about the treatment of mesothelioma? A. To learn about the treatment of mesothelioma, call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, TTY at 1-800-332-8615. NCI's Cancer Information Service also has booklets about cancer that are available to the public and can be sent on request. The following general booklets on questions related to cancer may be helpful: What You Need To Know About Cancer Taking Time: Support for People with Cancer and the People Who Care About Them What Are Clinical Trials All About? Chemotherapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help During Treatment Radiation Therapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help During Treatment Eating Hints for Cancer Patients Advanced Cancer: Living Each Day When Cancer Recurs: Meeting the Challenge Again
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