BIPHASIC MESOTHELIOMA
Diagnosed cases of biphasic mesothelioma have nearly doubled in 20 years

The cause of biphasic mesothelioma – a deadly combination of two malignant mesothelioma types – is occupational asbestos exposure.

For two decades, Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers injured by occupational asbestos exposure. And in that time the firm’s mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

BIPHASIC MESOTHELIOMA

July 17, 2009 – There are four different types of malignant mesothelioma cells that develop as a result of occupational asbestos exposure: epithelial, sarcomatoid, biphasic (mixed), and desmoplastic (considered a variant of sarcomatoid).

The general prognosis for all types of malignant mesothelioma is poor, and the difference in life expectancy between sarcomatoid, epithelioid, biphasic and desmoplastic cancers may amount to as little as a few months.

Biphasic mesothelioma, a double-barreled cancer

Biphasic mesothelioma is so named because it manifests both epithelial and sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells. The disease is not identified with any one cellular structure but rather with these two types of cells, which between them constitute more than 95 percent of all mesothelioma diagnoses.

Clinical tests have found certain chemotherapy drugs to be effective against one cell and ineffective against the other. That is one reason why so many malignant mesothelioma cases are treated with chemotherapy “cocktails,” comprised of multiple chemo drugs and radiation therapy, as well.

Biphasic mesothelioma cases on the rise

Over the past several years epidemiologists tracking mesothelioma have seen a rise in the frequency of biphasic mesothelioma. Epithelioid mesothelioma – cancer of the lining around the lung – is by far the most common mesothelioma diagnosis, occurring in 50 to 70 percent of cases. However, biphasic mesothelioma has risen steadily in frequency to 45 percent of cases today, from 25 percent in 1989.

A biopsy might find the malignant epithelial cells to be expected in mesothelioma and miss sarcomatoid cells located elsewhere. One of the reasons that the incidence of biphasic mesothelioma may have risen in recent years is the practice of performing multiple biopsies to determine the spread of this complicated disease. Mesothelioma is a diffuse cancer, rather than one concentrated in tumors.

Law firm for biphasic mesothelioma

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with mesothelioma. The disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ choice for profits over the expense of maintaining the health and safety of workers.

That’s why workers diagnosed with sarcomatoid mesothelioma and surviving family members have strong cases in court for obtaining compensation.

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free legal case review, please notify Weitz & Luxenberg through the communication form on this page.

We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help compensate you and your family for medical bills, lost wages and damages. Please know, there is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict in your favor.