Asbestos Lung Cancer Symptoms, Treatment, & Prognosis
The term asbestos lung cancer is often confused for other types of lung cancer, most specifically small cell lung cancer, sometimes called asbestos small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths around the world. Non-small cell lung cancer, which makes up about three-quarters of all lung cancers, and small cell lung cancer, which makes up about 20% of all lung cancers, are the two most prevalent forms.
Mesothelioma, also known as asbestos cancer or asbestos carcinoma, is commonly referred to as asbestos lung cancer, but these two forms of cancer are actually not identical. The confusion is due to the fact that both cancers affect the lungs. Mesothelioma is a cancer that develops in the mesothelium, which is a thin protective layer of tissue cells surrounding the lungs, abdominal cavity, heart, and other internal organs of the body. The only known cause of mesothelioma is due to asbestos exposure and occurs most often in the mesothelium of the lungs, which is why it is often called asbestos lung cancer. In this article, when we mention asbestos lung cancer, we are meaning mesothelioma, which is a cancer found in the mesothelial lining of the lungs. When we refer to lung cancer, we are talking about cancer found in the lung tissue, whether it’s caused by asbestos exposure, smoking, or something else altogether.
Asbestos Lung Cancer Kills Thousands Each Year
There are more than 165,000 diagnosed cases of lung cancer each year in the United States alone, but only about 2,000 or 3,000 cases of mesothelioma. Most cases of mesothelioma occur in the pleural mesothelium, which is the lining around the lungs, and is therefore called pleural mesothelioma. Other diseases that can be caused by exposure to asbestos are asbestosis and asbestos emphysema. An asbestos lung cancer prognosis is usually dependent upon several factors, but mostly on how advanced the cancer is. However, there are other factors such as age and overall health that can also play a small part in the prognosis and life expectancy.
Asbestos Lung Cancer Symptoms and Treatment
Asbestos lung cancer symptoms, also known as asbestos exposure symptoms, are usually minor when they first appear and are often mistaken for symptoms of less serious illnesses. Symptoms such as chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss can be mistaken for symptoms from other minor illnesses and then ignored or brushed off as being non-important. As the asbestos lung cancer continues to advance it can cause more severe symptoms such as coughing up blood, palpable lumps in the chest area, and eventually complete lung failure. In most cases, when mesothelioma is initially diagnosed, it is already in the advanced stages and the asbestos lung cancer treatment options have diminished significantly.
Most asbestos lung cancer victims were exposed to asbestos while working in asbestos-related industries such as shipbuilding, demolition, mining, or others. Some of these large companies knew about the threat of asbestos, but were negligent and never mentioned it to their workers. And hundreds of thousands of people developed asbestos diseases due to this negligence.
About the only recourse for these victims is to get an asbestos attorney and file an asbestos claim in an effort to get asbestos compensation that will help pay for treatment, reimburse for lost income because of the inability to work, and help secure the financial future of family members and loved ones. Mesothelioma cases can become very complicated and hiring an asbestos lawyer to help you with your lawsuit can provide you with the best chance at receiving compensation for victims.
As mentioned previously, most people diagnosed with an asbestos related disease worked in industries where asbestos was found. However, this deadly mineral can be found in other areas as well, places such as office buildings, schools, and homes. It may be all but impossible to check your workplace for asbestos products, but it’s not that difficult to check your home for asbestos materials. Performing your own asbestos testing on questionable products in your home is an easy and cheap way to determine whether or not it is present. If it is indeed found in your home it is vital that you contact an experienced contract to determine if asbestos removal is necessary. If it becomes necessary to remove asbestos products, it must be done no matter how high the cost of asbestos removal may be. Even a substantial asbestos removal cost is better than being diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer at some future point in time.