Mesothelioma settlement and mesothelioma claims

People develop mesothelioma by continuous exposure to asbestos. Western countries use more asbestos compared to others and people from western countries have higher rate of developing mesothelioma compared to others. Those who develop mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure should pursue settlement for compensation.


Mesothelioma is a cancer which develops in lung cancer and spreads to other parts. This is very difficult to treat. Asbestosis on the other hand is a chronic respiratory disease which can impair your lung functionality. People who develop one or the other can pursue an asbestosis or mesothelioma settlement.

If you are planning to seek a mesothelioma settlement, you should first locate an attorney who can deal your case. I will explain in other post how to find an attorney for mesothelioma settlement cases. As with any other cases, it is important to find an attorney who has experience in dealing such cases. Once you find an attorney with whom you are comfortable with, you have to build your case.

Many factors influence your case such as a when and where you were exposed to asbestos. Is it a work or home location? Were you aware of it at that time or for the matter has your employer made you aware? You have to build your case in such a way that(only if you want to win), you should prove that you are exposed to asbestos at work location only because of your employer’s negligence.

There are two ways to make your mesothelioma settlement. One is you go to the court along with defendant and the outcome will be determined by the jury. The other is out of the court settlement so your employer will pay you money. Your attorney will be able to advice you which route you should take.

What are the different types of mesothelioma?

1) Peritoneal Mesothelioma


The symptoms occur in the abdomen and spreads to other organs like spleen or bowel. It causes severe discomfort in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include difficult bowel movements, nausea and vomiting, fever and swollen feet.

The survival rate is even worse for those diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma will patients typically surviving only ten months from time that they first started experiencing the symptoms noted above.

2) Malignant Mesothelioma

This is the cancer that is caused because of asbestos and is most serious and often the symptoms are hard to diagnose. Malignant mesothelioma is diagnosed, it will be in severe stage and patients may not respond well to the treatment by the doctors.

3) Pericardial Mesothelioma

This is the least common form. This involves the heart and as the disease spreads, the heart will not be able to deliver oxygen to the body which in turn causes further bad health. Symptoms are pain in the chest and shortness of breath.

4) Pleural Mesothelioma

This affects the chests and lungs and is not always detectable. This form of mesothelioma can affect lot of organs including brain. The survival rate for patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma typically is not high. Patients typically do not live beyond seventeen months from the onset of symptoms. Only 8% of those diagnosed with mesothelioma will live three to five years from the onset of symptoms.

5) Benign Mesothelioma

This affects the peritoneum. This is also extremely difficult to diagnose and requires specialized microscopes and immunologic techniques to aid in diagnosis.

Signs and symptoms of Mesothelioma

Symptoms of mesothelioma are hard to confirm and more over they may not appear until 15-30 years after exposure to asbestos. Common symptoms of mesothelioma are

1) Shortness of breath

2) Pain in chest etc

3) Anemia

4) Fatigue

5) Hoarseness

6) Cough

7) Blood in sputum coughed up


Symptoms also include weight loss, abdominal swelling etc. In very severe cases, the person may have tumor masses. As such mesothelioma is hard to diagnose. Helen Davies, specialist registrar and research fellow at Oxford says, "Pleural effusion, or the accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, can be maddeningly difficult to diagnose as a wide variety of malignant and benign causes exist". One of the causes, malignant pleural mesothelioma, is a relatively rare cancer, but its incidence is rapidly increasing on a global scale.

The first test for mesothelioma in patients with a pleural effusion is pleural fluid cytology, but it is not very sensitive. Obtaining a prompt diagnosis of mesothelioma has benefits for patients and physicians alike. Because mesothelioma has a median survival time of 12 months, minimizing the number of invasive procedures and tests patients require is crucial to reduce morbidity and the time they need to spend in hospital, says Davies. An earlier diagnosis also allows speedier interventions to relieve symptoms as well as initiation of other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy if appropriate.

Exposure to asbestos is the main risk factor and accounts for the majority of mesothelioma cases. Legislation to prevent occupational exposure to asbestos has been enforced in the developed world; however, unrestricted contact continues in developing countries.

Over 90 percent of patients with mesothelioma present with a pleural effusion and its incidence is predicted to peak within the next two decades. Mesothelioma treatment is one of the highly researched activities in medicine.