There is a lot of depressing information on the internet about peritoneal mesothelioma and the survival associated with this cancer. Reading it you would think that no one has ever survived peritoneal mesothelioma beyond a year or so. This information is far from comprehensive. To help balance some of the negative information that is so prevalent on the Web, we present some case histories of long-term peritoneal mesothelioma survival as published in the peer reviewed medical literature. 9 Years + In November 1979, a 73 year-old man had abdominal pain and distension and was found to have an abdominal mass. A laparotomy was performed that revealed peritoneal malignancy with ascites. A biopsy demonstrated that the tumor was malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. No special treatment was recommended other than draining of the ascites. In spite of the continuing ascites and the gradually-enlarging abdominal masses, the patient enjoys good health, and lives independently at home. How many more years (in excess of 9) this patient lived with peritoneal mesothelioma is not known. See: Norman, P.E. and Whitaker, D., Nine-Year Survival in a Case of Untreated Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Med J Aust 1989; 150: 43-44. 15 Years + A woman was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. She had surgery (“total excision”). Seven years later the peritoneal mesothelioma recurred and she had another surgery (“reexcision”). She remains well 15 years after the initial diagnosis. The patient did not receive chemotherapy. See: Asensio, J.A., et al., Primary Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Report of Seven Cases and a Review of the Literature, Arch Surg; Nov 1990, 125, 1477-1480. 17 + Years of Mesothelioma In 1962, a 31 year-old woman had abdominal pain for several months and a mass was detected. She underwent exploratory laparotomy which found tumor nodules spread throughout her abdomen. The diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma was made. Complete surgical removal of the tumor was not possible. She was treated with radioactive phosphorus, radiation, and oral chemotherapy (cytoxan). She remained well for 17 years. In 1979 she had recurrent peritoneal mesothelioma. She was treated with cytoxan again and continued to live as of the writing of the published medical report. See: Brenner, J., et al., Seventeen Year Survival in a Patient with malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma; Clinical Oncology 1981, 7, 249-251.

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Mesothelioma Lawyers - Important Information for Patients Selecting the best mesothelioma lawyer for your situation is not easy because lawyers have different levels of experience in different areas, are licensed to practice in different jurisdictions, and charge different levels of contingency fees. One way to identify reputable lawyers is to see how they are rated by the various independent attorney rating systems. For example, are they listed in "Best Lawyers in America," "Super Lawyers" or have a high Martindale-Hubbell rating? On contingency fees, are they charging a customary fee or an exorbitant one? And what is their reputation among defense lawyers and defendants? Are they known to settle cases quickly and for modest values or do they have the reputation for holding defendants' "feet to the fire" to maximize settlement values for their clients? Fill Out The Mesothelioma Lawyers Form If you would like information on how to see the published ratings for different mesothelioma lawyers and law firms, please fill-in the form below: Name State Email Phone Deciding to pursue legal recourse and selecting an attorney to represent you in a mesothelioma or asbestos lawsuit are important decisions that should be made carefully. The facts of your situation and the law firm you select have a dramatic impact in the outcome of your case. The Facts of Your Situation Some mesothelioma patients know they worked around asbestos, but many do not know how they were exposed or how often. In fact, many people are not sure if they were ever near this carcinogen. Unfortunately, there have been thousands of products that contained asbestos - cigarette filters, hair dryers, brakes, basement and roof materials, pipes, boilers, insulation, and many other products found throughout the home and at work. If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma it is more than likely that you were exposed to asbestos multiple times in your life and that this happened decades before your diagnosis. In general, the value of your case depends on how many asbestos containing products you were exposed to, the number of identifiable defendants that still exist (many have declared bankruptcy), your age and earning capacity. And the speed of your case can depend on a number of variables including the state where you worked and lived when you were exposed to asbestos. The Law Firm You Choose When you have been given the news about this terrible disease, you may not feel that you have the time to deal with the legal questions - Should I talk to a lawyer? Should I file a claim? However, you should not wait too long to learn about your legal rights for at least three reasons: Statutes of Limitations - There are statute of limitations which means you only have a limited time to file your case after diagnosis. The statute of limitations time period is set by individual states and varies. The clock usually starts ticking on the day of diagnosis. Financial Pressure - A mesothelioma diagnosis can bring financial stress, less income, more expenses, and treatments that are not covered by insurance. Knowing that money may be on the way from filing a claim can bring financial relief. Lawyers Can be Excellent Resources - The more experienced mesothelioma lawyers and law firms can often be excellent sources of information about various doctors and treatment options available for this disease. But, picking a lawyer is serious business and you should not use TV ads as the reason to hire an attorney. Actual credentials are what counts. For example, what type of accomplishments has the law firm achieved? How committed are they to mesothelioma/asbestos cases? Are these cases a substantial part of their practice or just a small piece? How many other cases like yours have they handled? Also, make sure you understand the fees being charges. Contingency is the term that means that the lawyer gets paid only after they collect money for you. The amount of the contingency fee that your lawyer can charge varies and is usually between 33% and 40%. It is important to discuss fees openly, ask what services they cover, how they are calculated, and whether there will be any extra charges. Finally, for something as important as a mesothelioma lawsuit, your attorney should not only be experienced, skilled, and dedicated, but also a trusted partner who understands that your health needs always take precedence. The best lawyers are those that are not only expert at what they do, but are also caring, supportive, thoughtful and compassionate.

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hen I talk with people about my experience as an asbestos lawyer the one response I get more than any other is, so is asbestos litigation actually still around? Yes, it is. Unfortunately, the American Cancer Society reports that there are still between 2000 and 3000 new diagnoses of mesothelioma each year in the United States. As well as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and non-malignant diseases such as asbestosis make up the bulk of the asbestos lawsuits filed today. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that forms in the cells of the protective lining, called the mesothelium, covering many of the body's internal organs including the lungs, like syran wrap. Exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma and it has no cure. Because Portland shipyards and shipyards in other parts of Oregon were so active through the decades, many Oregonians were exposed to asbestos and may end up needing the help of a Portland asbestos attorney. Unfortunately, patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma often do not survive a year beyond the diagnosis. Asbestos has killed far more people than any other environmental hazard in this country's history. Angel Law PC is a Portland asbestos law firm committed to holding the manufacturers and distributors of dangerous asbestos products accountable for exposing Oregonians to asbestos where that exposure has resulted in harm. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) have declared asbestos a proven human carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure. Any contact with asbestos carries with it some level of risk for disease. In fact, mesothelioma can be caused by relatively small exposures to asbestos or even secondary exposure, where asbestos fibers are brought home by a worker to his family. An asbestos attorney at Angel Law PC can provide you with more information about secondary asbestos exposure. Hasn't asbestos been removed from products? If asbestos has been removed from virtually all consumer products in the United States for over 25 years how is it that people are still getting sick? The answer has everything to do with the decades-long latency period of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma. It typically takes years for asbestos diseases to manifest and progress to the point where the patient feels the ill effects. It also takes many years before asbestos diseases can be detected with modern medical diagnostic technologies. Most patients who suffer today from an asbestos related disease were exposed to asbestos fiber 20, 30 or 40 years ago in an industrial job, including a lumber mill, paper mill, aluminum plant or an Oregon shipyard. Medical science does not know precisely why the latency period related to asbestos diseases is so long. Some theorize that the long latency period is related to the physiological processes inside the body attempting to expel the foreign asbestos fibers. The body's attempt to eradicate intruding fibers slows the rate at which fibers ultimately reach cells of the mesothelium. Another contributing factor to the remarkably long latency may be the slower rate of cell division related to mesothelial cells in the early stages of uncontrolled cell division. Who's at risk? Most victims suffering with asbestos disease today, including mesothelioma, were exposed to the dangerous fibers while working years ago in various industrial workplaces. They worked in shipyards as boilermakers, insulators, shipbuilders, and pipefitters. They worked in the construction industry as dry-wallers (dry wall installers), carpenters, and HVAC installers. They were brake mechanics, paper mill laborers, furnace repairmen, floor tile installers and electricians, to name a few. They were also the family members of these workers. Workers involved today in the demolition of old buildings that were built with asbestos products - and during a certain period virtually all of them were - are still at a significant risk of exposure to airborne asbestos fiber. For instance, more than 1,000 tons of asbestos are thought to have been released into the air during the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11. The inhalation of a mixture of asbestos and other toxins is thought to be linked to the unusually high death rate of emergency service workers from cancer since the disaster. How does asbestos cause disease? Of the different kinds of asbestos related disease, mesothelioma is considered the most serious and severe because it is invariably fatal and has the shortest life expectancy. Mesothelioma occurs when asbestos fibers, either inhaled or swallowed, penetrate the surface of the mesothelium. When the resilient but slender transparent fibers penetrate the cells the result is a disruption of normal cell activity, especially mitosis possibly caused by the fibers tangling destructively with comparably sized chromosomes. This can lead to irregular cell division that can progress into a malignant tumor within the mesothelium which ultimately invades the tissue and organs around it. The very qualities of this miracle mineral that make it so attractive as an industrial product are what make it so deadlyinside a human body. Asbestos fiber is acid resistant, heat resistant, incredibly resilient and remarkably strong. Once introduced (most commonly) into the pulmonary or gastrointestinal system, the microscopic needles move through tissue over time and stubbornly resist the body's efforts to break them down and expel them. Not everyone exposed to asbestos fiber will develop an asbestos-related disease. While mesothelioma can be caused by limited exposures, it is a rare form of cancer and, statistically, even someone with significant exposure will not get the disease. Sometimes I meet a person who has concerns about an isolated or very limited exposure to asbestos. While there is always some risk of mesothelioma for anyone who came into contact with asbestos fiber, the greater the exposure in terms of intensity and frequency, the greater the risk of developing the fatal cancer. Asbestos lawsuits are still around because workers who were exposed to asbestos products years ago in this country are still being diagnosed with asbestos related diseases today. If you or a loved one has a history of asbestos exposure it is extremely important to inform your doctor that you've been exposed to asbestos because symptoms of asbestos disease, including mesothelioma, often resemble those of less serious illnesses. Asbestos diseases have proven difficult to diagnose even by experienced doctors. If you are diagnosed with an asbestos related disease it is critical that you contact an experienced asbestos litigation attorney at Angel Law PC as soon as possible to preserve your legal rights.

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Mesothelioma injury is a kind of personal injury induced by exposure to asbestos. This disease occurs because of unprotected contact with hazardous materials, asbestos, and asbestos dust usually enters the body through breathing or swallowing. Mesothelioma injury has a very small chance of survival, especially because the disease is detected only after several years later and that time, the disease has become advanced cancer. Medical expenses of mesothelioma injury is enormous, considering not found yet a cure for this disease. It is certainly very difficult for people with limited finances. Other diseases caused by asbestos are lung mesothelioma cancer. Lung mesothelioma cancer development are very similar to mesothelioma injury. Symptoms of lung cancer is also very similar to the mesothelioma injury such as shortness of breath, persistent dry cough, chest pain, loss of appetite and significant weight loss. Risk of lung cancer caused by asbestos will be higher for smokers. Unlike the mesothelioma injury, asbestosis is a type of chronic inflammation and not cancer. Body’s defense mechanism will produce acidy liquid to conquer the situation. However, this is not much help, but even cause scar tissue that blocks the lungs to function normally. Plaque Pleural is also related to mesothelioma personal injury. Plaque pelura is benign, but actually people with pleural plaques have a higher risk for contracting asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma. The disease is a form of fibrosis in the parietal pleura, a thin layer to the chest wall. All the diseases above have long latency period, and even there is patients who showed the first symptoms of mesothelioma injury 40 years later after their initial exposure to asbestos. Therefore, strongly advised to those who had or have jobs that are often in contact with asbestos, to consult a health care professional. This is also recommended for homeowners who used asbestos products during the development process of their home. Consultation with health care professionals aiming to minimize the risk of mesothelioma injury.

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