Some patients with early stages of mesothelioma can go into remission, according to the American Cancer Society. However, mesothelioma is likely to come back after remission.
Why Mesothelioma is so Difficult to Treat
Mesothelioma is most often caused by exposure to asbestos, naturally occurring fibers that have been widely used in construction materials, vehicle parts, fireproof clothing, and common household items, according to the Mayo Clinic. Many people who came into contact with asbestos at work or at home developed mesothelioma decades later.
Pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining around the lungs, and peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the lining in the abdomen, are both difficult to treat. There is often a long period of time between an individual’s exposure to asbestos and the onset of mesothelioma symptoms. By the time a person has symptoms, seeks medical advice, and receives a diagnosis, the mesothelioma often has already reached an advanced stage.
Mesothelioma and other cancers that spread quickly to other parts of the body, or metastasize, are generally difficult to treat and cure. In those cases, treatment options are limited, and doctors instead focus on making patients as comfortable as possible.
However, according to the American Cancer Society, when a patient with peritoneal mesothelioma has surgery to resect most of the cancer, they can have a long remission. When an individual goes into remission, that means that cancerous tumors have been reduced in size or have stopped growing.
If a person with mesothelioma goes into partial remission, that means the tumors have shrunken by at least half. Individuals who go into partial remission often experience significant improvement in their symptoms, even though cancer cells are still present. Those patients may feel better and live longer.
A person who goes into complete remission has no symptoms of mesothelioma. It is rare for a mesothelioma patient to achieve full remission since the cancer spreads quickly and is difficult to treat. If a person achieves complete remission, doctors may not be able to detect any cancer cells, and the individual may feel as though he or she has been cured, but there may still be cancerous cells present in the body, and the mesothelioma may return in the future.
There have been rare cases involving people with mesothelioma who went into spontaneous remission. Their tumors shrank until the patients had no detectable evidence of mesothelioma, although in some cases, the cancer came back later.
When a patient goes into remission, it is possible that the cancer could come back in the same part of the body or in a different area. Most mesothelioma patients who go into partial remission have their cancer spread in the future. If mesothelioma recurs after going into remission, in some cases, it can be treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of therapies.
You May Be Entitled to Financial Compensation for Your Mesothelioma
Being diagnosed with mesothelioma can be devastating. You may be facing chronic pain, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms that make it impossible for you to work and care for your children.
You and your family may be struggling to figure out how to cover the growing stack of medical bills, plus your mortgage, utilities, car loans, credit cards, and other regular expenses. Doctors may have told you that your cancer is already so advanced that it is incurable. You may have been told that you have little time left to live, and you may be worried about your family’s future.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to seek a financial award to compensate you for your mesothelioma. Although that will not undo the damage that has already been done or increase your odds of survival, it may give you some peace of mind knowing that your family will be provided for in the future.
For a free legal consultation, call (800) 307-3113
How We May Be Able to Help You
We can work to figure out when and how you were exposed to asbestos. Our firm has worked with other mesothelioma patients and compiled a database containing information on companies that used asbestos in their products. We may be able to use that information to identify the source of your exposure.
Our team may then file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf to seek compensation for your injuries. Even if the company responsible has declared bankruptcy, we may still be able to obtain a financial award for you. After businesses faced a flood of lawsuits related to mesothelioma, some declared bankruptcy and set up trust funds to compensate other victims who might come forward in the future. We may be able to seek a financial award for you by filing a claim with a mesothelioma trust fund.
You should not let concerns about the cost of hiring an attorney keep you from seeking justice. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm operates on contingency. We only collect a fee if we obtain compensation for a client. Call our office today at (800) 307-3113 to talk to a member of our staff about how we may be able to assist you.
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