PLEURAL CANCER

Pleural mesothelioma cancer represents about 75 percent of all mesothelioma cases

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers for 25 years. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma cancer.

PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA CANCER

April 6, 2010 - Pleural mesothelioma cancer is caused by the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers, which become imbedded in the lining of the lung (the pleura). Asbestos fibers can fester in lung tissue for years, sometimes for decades, before any symptoms of an asbestos disease, like asbestosis or mesothelioma, can be diagnosed.

Pleural cancer symptoms

The most common symptom for pleural mesothelioma patients is chest pain, which often appears in the shoulder or upper abdomen.

Shortness of breath is also a symptom. Cough, weight loss and anorexia are present in some patients, but are less common.

The rapid growth of the pleural mesothelioma cancer tumors enlarges the pleural space, causing it to fill with fluid. Oftentimes, this buildup of fluid causes the discomfort or pain associated with a patient’s first detection of the disease. Draining this fluid from the lungs helps relieve the pain; it is one of the first medical procedures doctors take in cases of pleural mesothelioma cancer.

Pleural cancer prognosis

Most patients with pleural mesothelioma cancer have a bleak prognosis. In a study involving 167 patients with proven pleural mesothelioma cancer, the median survival rate of patients following diagnosis was 242 days, or approximately eight months.

Weitz & Luxenberg

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form below. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages, and damages. There is no cost to you until we obtain a settlement or a verdict in your favor.