Diffuse Malignant of Mesothelioma

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma, or DMM, is a rare but highly aggressive type of cancer. It occurs in the thin layer of tissue, the pleura, lining the chest cavity and lungs. Once diagnosed with DMM, most patients do not survive beyond one year. This cancer is more common in men than in women, and in older people.

Most people with DMM have a history of exposure to asbestos; however, if they are not aware that such exposure occurred, they may be unaware that they are at risk. A patient with DMM typically has one or more of the following signs and symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, fever, or a cough. An x-ray usually shows that the pleural tissue around the lungs has thickened due to the development of a number of nodules or small cancerous growths. Sometimes, there may be a single large growth. When a biopsy of the cancer tissue is done, the types of cells that make up the cancer may be epithelioid, mixed, or sarcomatoid. People with epithelioid cell cancers tend to survive somewhat longer; those with sarcomatoid cancers usually have the shortest survival.

DMM is always treated as aggressively as possible. The type of treatment depends on the dominant cell type the cancer is made of, the extent of spread of the cancer, and the overall health of the person undergoing treatment. Surgery is a preferred option where the bulk of the cancer can be removed. Many anti-cancer drugs are being tried to treat DMM, with varying levels of short-term success. Radiotherapy may also be an option. A number of clinical trials are currently underway to try and find a treatment that may improve the outlook for DMM patients. However, only seven percent of people with DMM survive beyond five years.

Malignant Mesothelioma provides detailed information about malignant mesothelioma, diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma, malignant mesothelioma diagnosis, malignant mesothelioma lawyer and more. Malignant Mesothelioma is the sister site of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Lawyers [http://www.WetPluto.com/A-Guide-To-Malignant-Peritoneal-Mesothelioma.html].

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Asbestos Lung Cancer Treatment

The most commonly used treatments for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. 
The exact asbestos lung cancer treatment patient receives will depend on several factors. These include the type of cancer, the stage or extent to which it has spread at the time of diagnosis, and the overall health of the patient.


Non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for about 80 percent of lung cancer cases, is treated depending on its stage at diagnosis. Lung surgery is the mainstay of treatment for the early stages of lung cancer. Cancerous tissue, along with a margin of healthy tissue, is removed. Patients who are unable to have surgery may be treated with radiotherapy. While cure rates for early lung cancer are good, it is rarely detected in its early stages. As non-small cell cancer spreads within the chest, it is treated with some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Once cancer has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy and radiotherapy replace surgery as the main treatment options. A number of drugs are available, and many more are being tested in clinical trials. Radiotherapy is palliative, and while it may ease symptoms such as pain and cough, it will not stop cancer growth. If the cancer obstructs a major airway, using a laser, freezing the tumor or keeping the airway open with a stent or tube may remove the obstruction.

Small cell lung cancer, which is found in about 20 percent of lung cancer patients, is more aggressive and more likely to have spread by the time of diagnosis. It is therefore treated primarily with chemotherapy. Radiotherapy to the chest may also be used to kill off remaining cancer cells. This type of cancer often spreads to the brain. This is why radiotherapy to the brain may be used as a prophylactic even if no cancer is detected in the brain.

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Top Mesothelioma Lawyers

Prolonged exposure to asbestos can give rise to lung cancer. Asbestos cancer attorneys are lawyers who represent victims who have contracted this dreadful disease through prolonged contact with asbestos. Their aim is to obtain compensation for their clients from those responsible for causing the damage.

The top mesothelioma lawyers have forcefully and fruitfully fought for asbestos workers and their families. There are a large number of cancer attorney firms in the US, with a sizeable number of asbestos claimants, and they have won substantial compensation for their affected clients. Asbestos cancer attorneys usually employ top medical professionals and scientists to assist them in developing a case.


These attorneys are devoted to making sure that each of their clients obtains the consideration his or her case is worthy of. If one is suffering from cancer due to extensive exposure to asbestos, the straightforward reality is that the more clients the attorneys stand for, the better the chance of negotiating with the companies that caused the dreaded disease.

According to the National Cancer Institute, around 3,000 cases of malignant cancer from asbestos exposure are being reported in the United States each year, and the occurrence seems to be rising. The syndrome is three times more widespread in men than in women. In men, the incidence of asbestos related cancer is ten times higher in men between the ages of 60 and 70 than in men between the ages of 30 and 40. Work-related exposure to asbestos over the past fifty years in the United States is estimated to have happened to roughly eight million people, and up to 300,000 new cases are anticipated to take place by the year 2030.

An exceptional characteristic of asbestos-connected cancer is the long latency phase between exposure to asbestos and the beginning of the disease.

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