Mesothelioma Law Blog

Not all forms of mesothelioma are the same. Nearly all mesothelioma starts with asbestos exposure, but forms may vary according to location and cell type.

As the American Cancer Society explains, these cancers all affect the specialized cells that line your heart, lungs, abdomen and most of your internal organs. These cells create a lubricating fluid that allows the parts of your body to move against each other. Mesothelioma is a cancer in one of these linings.

Every year, thousands of Americans learn they have mesothelioma. Most of them realize it only after the disease has progressed too far for surgery to be a viable option. This means their treatment largely consists of trying to slow the cancer’s progress to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life.

For years, this most often meant chemotherapy or radiation, frequently paired with other drugs or treatments. Then last year the FDA approved the first new mesothelioma treatment in over 15 years. But what is it like to live with this new treatment? The story of one Pittsburgh man offers some insight.

Recently, the residents of Asbestos, a town in Quebec, Canada, chose a new identity. Rather than allowing their town to continue being named after the hazardous mineral formerly mined there, they have chosen a free name from such negative connotations. Beginning in December, their town will be known as Val-des-Sources, which means ‘valley of the springs’ in French.

Asbestos was once home to the Jeffrey Mine, which had been the largest chrysotile asbestos mine in the world. According to a report published by National Public Radio, the town developed around the mine in the late 1800s. It was given its name by the Royal Mail, which began simply referring to it as the mineral mined there.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That's the saying, but what can you do when it's too late to take most preventative measures?

That's frequently the question mesothelioma victims must face. Every year, doctors diagnose roughly 3,000 Americans with mesothelioma. However, because mesothelioma is notoriously difficult to diagnose, those diagnoses often come too late for the most aggressive and effective treatments. And that's why the findings of a recent study may offer new hope for those most at risk.