Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Peritoneal mesothelioma

The following is an expert piece related to asbestos exposure, disease, treatment and survival. Tens of thousands have become ill or died from various degrees of exposure and the types of related illness.

What is Peritoneal mesothelioma by Roger Sandoval

is a disease that affects the lining of the abdomen, or peritoneum. Occasionally doctors refer to this disease as mesothelioma of the peritoneum. It is a general misunderstanding that mesothelioma is a form of primary lung cancer; it is not. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the serous membranes. These membranes enclose a number of organs throughout the midsection of the body, as well as the abdomen. The most customary type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the serous membranes of the lungs.

The second most regular form of mesothelioma cancer is Peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma can extend to the lungs and when this occurs, it is considered secondary lung cancer. Mesothelioma is also at times referred to as an asbestos lung cancer. Technically, this is also inexact, since it does not originate in the lungs. Asbestosis is a type of asbestos lung disease that does originate in the lungs and is often confused with Mesothelioma.

Peritoneal mesothelioma Cancer

Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer is found in 10 of the Mesothelioma patients. The solitary recognized cause of Mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. For pleural Mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining), the disease progression is reasonably well understood. It is initiated by the breathing of asbestos fibers that settle in the lungs. These asbestos fibers become interleaveed in the lung lining (or pleura). Asbestos fibers are very robust and cannot be eliminated through the body's processes. Over time, they cause recurring inflammation that eventually leads to growth of cancerous tumors or in some cases asbestosis.

For Peritoneal mesothelioma, it is not clearly understood how the asbestos fibers turn out to be wedged in the abdomen's peritoneum lining. It is likely that asbestos fibers, after being cracked into lesser pieces in the lungs, are carried from the lungs into the blood stream, and embed from the blood stream in the abdomen lining. A more probable basis is that asbestos fibers were consumeed with food or drink. Largely asbestos mining or processing facilities had persistent clouds of asbestos fibers. These fibers may perhaps have settled on the food of the workers. Also, it is well established that several of the workers' clothing became infiltrated with asbestos dust. This dust could have polluted the kitchens of the employees as they arrived home with the polluted clothing. Once lodged in the peritoneum, the chronic inflammation process leading to cancerous growths is similar to that occurring in pleural Mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma of the Testicles A infrequent form of Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the male testicles. The covering layer of the scrotum is essentially an outpouching of the peritoneum. It is accepted wisdom that the asbestos fibers migrate from the stomach area to become lodged in the portion of the peritoneum surrounding the scrotum.







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Cancer Trial Lawsuit - Mesothelioma Law

The following is a piece on a person who won a recent case against a shipbuilding company for mesothelioma. The person victorious in the lawsuit won over 4 million dollars.

Shipyard Worker Wins Mesothelioma Cancer Trial

Following a jury trial that lasted two and a half weeks, a Norfolk, Virginia man won a $4.39 million verdict on Sept. 5. John Koonce, 59, worked at Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp. from 1967 to 1971 with asbestos containing parts such as John Crane gaskets and packing materials. In 2006, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, and he later had a lung removed.
Compensatory Damages and Medical Expenses

After a day of deliberation, the jury awarded Koonce both compensatory damages ($4 million) and medical expenses ($390,000) from John Crane Inc., an Illinois-based company. Koonce’s asbestos attorney Bobby Hatten of Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein criticized Crane’s no-settlement policy, “Settlements are what reasonable companies do to resolve litigation…when that doesn’t happen, they get to face the jury.”

Hatten also noted that his firm spent two years on the case, with five lawyers assigned to the plaintiff’s issues. His firm will keep one-third of the award, or $1.46 million.

Defendant’s Appeal Is Possible

The defendant John Crane Inc. has the option to appeal the verdict; it has done so in similar cases in the past. Crane could also offer to not appeal in return for Koonce accepting a reduced award amount. A second party that Koonce named, Garlock Sealing Technologies, settled out of court.

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