Mesothelioma

The symptoms of Mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to fluid between the lung and the chest wall and weight loss. The diagnosis may be assumed with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space, which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing. Most people who contract mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber. It has also been recommended that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. There is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers. People who have been exposed to asbestos have collected damages for asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in law practices regarding mesothelioma.