Mesothelioma Compensation Claim Lawyer - Australia
Asbestos is a fiber used in insulation materials and other industrial products, particularly in the mid-portion of the 20th century. By the 1970s, it was found to be the cause of many diseases, especially mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer. The biggest problem with asbestos is that it breaks down into tiny needle-sharp fibres that are easily inhaled into the lungs. Because they are long and needle-like, asbestos fragments get stuck in the lungs and cause mesothelioma, which has few other causes other than asbestos. Another serious illness caused by exposure to asbestos fibres is asbestosis which is a chronic inflammatory and fibrotic medical condition affecting the lungs. Almost any degree of exposure, inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibres carries with it a risk of contracting an asbestos related disease. Lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma compensation claims will be successful if it can be proved that the employer failed to implement a safe system of work thereby placing employees in danger. Our specialist personal injury lawyers deal with asbestosis and mesothelioma compensation claims against negligent employers. If you would like to speak to a mesothelioma solicitor about whether or not you have a viable asbestos related disease compensation claim just complete the contact form, send an email to our offices or call the helpline. We offer free legal advice without any further obligation from qualified lawyers who specialise in mesothelioma compensation claims.
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Pleural Mesothelioma
The most common disease caused by asbestos is called pleural mesothelioma, which involves a cancer of the lining surface of the lung. It is uncommon to have signs or symptoms in early disease so most of the time, the disease is discovered in its later stages. The main symptoms include problems breathing, pain in the chest wall, weight loss, night sweats, fever, malaise and cough. It is difficult to diagnose mesothelioma in its early phases because it mimics less severe illnesses, such as bronchitis, pneumonia and allergies affecting the lungs.
Diagnosis
The doctor can detect mesothelioma using a plain film chest x-ray, which can show a thickening of the chest wall or the internal pleural surfaces. A CT scan can show a mesothelioma slightly better and an MRI scan, which uses magnetism and radio waves along with a computer, can really define the outlines of the mesothelioma. These tests should be considered whenever there is a history of asbestos exposure and symptoms of the disease.
Biopsy
A biopsy of the suspected tissue can be done with an open lung biopsy or with a bronchoscopic biopsy, depending on where the cancer is located. CT guided pleural biopsy can also be done using a needle that samples the cancer without actually opening the chest wall, especially if the cancer is on the periphery of the lungs. A thoracoscopy involves using a flexible tube inserted into the chest wall and doing a biopsy using tiny tools and a small camera at the end of the flexible tube.
Mediastinopsy
A related test used for the biopsy of mesotheliomas is a mediastinoscopy, which involves a video camera inserted into the mediastinum of the lungs behind the breast bone. Cancers located behind the breastbone can be biopsied at that time. Lymph nodes located in the mediastinum can be looked at and sampled for evidence of metastatic cancer to lymph nodes.
Exposure
Those with asbestos exposure were most likely carpenters, factory workers in the insulation industry, shipyard workers, Navy veterans, and those working in the automotive, shipbuilding and railroad industry. Family members exposed to asbestos by being exposed to the clothing, hair or skin of those who work in those industries are at a higher risk of getting mesothelioma.
Latency
There is a latency period from the time of exposure to asbestos and the development of pleural mesothelioma. The latency period can be as short as 5-10 years but is normally around 40 years or more. This means you may not necessarily compare your symptoms of mesothelioma to exposure you had decades ago to asbestos but the relationship is really there.
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Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Another type of asbestos-related cancer is called peritoneal mesothelioma. This is mesothelioma that has attached itself to the peritoneum in the abdominal cavity. It is also due to exposure to asbestos; however, it is not as common as pleural mesothelioma.
Symptoms
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include swelling of the abdomen due to an increase in the fluid of the peritoneal cavity, pain in the abdomen, an abdominal mass, and weight loss. You can also get bowel obstruction, problems in blood clotting and anemia. Fever is common and is unrelated to having an infection.
Diagnosis
Peritoneal mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose because it mimics other diseases and is a relatively rare type of cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma has no other cause besides asbestosis so you need to think “asbestos exposure” if you develop peritoneal mesothelioma. It is due to ingestion of the needle-like asbestos fibers in the workplace or exposure to those who worked in the above industries that cause pleural mesothelioma.
Types
There are actually two types of peritoneal mesothelioma. One is benign and is called benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma. While it grows, it does not metastasize and is not considered a cancer. The second is the cancerous or malignant form of mesothelioma. Either type of mesothelioma can be diagnosed using a CT scan or MRI scan of the abdomen, followed by a laparoscopy to biopsy the tissue to see what type of tumor it is.
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Stages of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma can be staged and the stage of mesothelioma determines the survival rate. There are several staging protocols, including the TNM system and the Butchart staging system. The TNM looks at the size of the tumor (T), the number of lymph nodes involved (N) and the presence of metastases (M). In the Butchart system, stage I involves local cancer on one side of the lung; stage II represents involvement of the chest wall, esophagus, heart or pleura on both sides of the lungs. Lymph nodes may also be involved. Stage III cancer means the cancer has invaded the abdomen through involvement of the diaphragm; stage IV involves metastasis through the blood to distant organs.
Mesothelioma is rarely diagnosed in stage I and the average survival rate after diagnosis of mesothelioma is about 4-18 months. Some mesothelioma patients, however, have been diagnosed with the disease and have survived longer than ten years. The greater the stage of mesothelioma, the worse is the prognosis. Treatment depends on the stage of the mesothelioma as well.
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Treatment
The treatment of mesothelioma includes surgical resection of whatever tumor can be seen. This might include involved lymph nodes. This is true of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Chemotherapy can be instilled directly into the intraperitoneal cavity in peritoneal mesothelioma or can be generalized in pleural mesothelioma. External radiation therapy is used at the site of the removal of cancer so that all the cancer cells can be killed off. There are certain medications called “cytoreductive” agents that kill off only cancer cells and that work well in the management of mesothelioma.
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Biopsy - Malignant or Benign
Having mesothelioma is a difficult thing to overcome. It isn’t found early in the disease in many cases and the survival rate is overall quite low. Symptoms can be related to benign asbestosis or malignant mesothelioma so it is not always easy to go by the symptoms of the disease. The trick is the biopsy, which can tell the difference between malignant and benign disease.
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Asbestosis
Some people just get asbestosis of the lungs. This is scar tissue forming inside the lung that interferes with the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lung tissue. It often takes at least twenty years to develop symptoms of asbestosis. Asbestos causes pleural plaques with calcification of the lining of the lungs and symptoms of chest pain, cough, fluid on the lungs, shortness of breath with exertion, chest tightness, and nail clubbing (an unusual feature of the fingernails and the tips of the fingers caused by lung disease). The signs of asbestosis can be seen on an abnormal chest x-ray, a CT scan of the chest and a gallium (radioactive) scan of the lungs. The pulmonary function studies are usually abnormal due to the plaques and stiffening of the lungs.