Mesothelioma-Med.com is your information source for the disease Mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is an occupational lung disease (industrial dust disease) caused by exposure to asbestos. Workers involved in asbestos mining, milling and manufacturing its products are at the greatest risk for developing mesothelioma. Learn about mesothelioma, including the symptoms, treatment and prevention of mesothelioma.

People who get mesothelioma can depend greatly in a number of conditions. Asbestos exposure is not limited to manufacturing work sites. Schools, office buildings, recreational centers, and other facilities contained significant amounts of asbestos until only a few decades ago. While those who worked in asbestos quarries and manufacturing centers are the most at risk, significant amounts of unrelated people were indirectly endangered. Asbestos contamination affected many occupations not directly involved in the asbestos production or construction industries. Click here for more.

How Common is Mesothelioma?
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.

How is it treated?
Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined. Click How is it Treated for more information.

Where Mesothelioma gets it's name.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of mesothelial cells. These cells cover the outer surface of most of our internal body organs, forming a lining that is sometimes called the mesothelium. So this is where this type of cancer gets its name.

Legal issues
The first lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers were in 1929. Since then, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against asbestos manufacturers and employers, for neglecting to implement safety measures after the links between asbestos, asbestosis, and mesothelioma became known (some reports seem to place this as early as 1898). The liability resulting from the number of lawsuits and people affected has reached billions of dollars. The amounts and method of allocating compensation have been the source of many court cases, reaching up to the United States Supreme Court, and government attempts at resolution of existing and future cases.
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