Welcome to Mesothelioma Attorney
The Mesothelioma Attorney web site is your resource for assistance
and information about Malignant Mesothelioma (cancer).
Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in
which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the
chest (the pleura) or abdomen (the peritoneum). Most people with
malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed
asbestos.
A doctor should be seen if a person has shortness of breath,
pain in the chest, or pain or swelling in the abdomen. If there
are symptoms, the doctor may order an x-ray of the chest or abdomen.
The doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument
called a thoracoscope. A cut will be made through the chest wall
and the thoracoscope will be put into the chest between two ribs.
This test, called thoracoscopy, is usually done in the hospital.
Before the test, the patient will be given a local anesthetic
(a drug that causes a loss of feeling for a short period of time).
Some pressure may be felt, but usually there is no pain.
The doctor may also look inside the abdomen (peritoneoscopy)
with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. The peritoneoscope
is put into an opening made in the abdomen. This test is also
usually done in the hospital. Before the test is done, a local
anesthetic will be given.
If tissue that is not normal is found, the doctor will need to
cut out a small piece and have it looked at under a microscope
to see if there are any cancer cells. This is called a biopsy.
Biopsies are usually done during the thoracoscopy or peritoneoscopy.
The chance of recovery (prognosis) depends on the size of the
cancer, where the cancer is, how far the cancer has spread, how
the cancer cells look under the microscope, how the cancer responds
to treatment, and the patient’s age.
Learn More