Exposure to asbestos is the sole cause of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma victims have the legal right to receive compensation from the party responsible for their asbestos exposure, but to recover their compensation, victims will need help from a California mesothelioma lawyer.
Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer. It may take as long as five decades to develop as malignant cancer cells form, usually in the lining of the abdomen or chest. When mesothelioma is detected, doctors frequently recommend aggressive treatment.
In the United States, about eight percent of those diagnosed with mesothelioma survive for five years or more following the diagnosis. What treatments are available to mesothelioma patients? And how will a California mesothelioma attorney help you to afford those treatments?
What Are the Options for Mesothelioma Treatment?
Sadly, many are diagnosed with mesothelioma only in the most advanced stages of the disease. A late diagnosis may limit a patient’s options, but a number of treatments to relieve the symptoms of mesothelioma and to improve the quality of life are available to most mesothelioma victims.
Depending on the stage of the disease, a patient may undergo surgery to destroy cancer cells or remove tumors. If those options are inappropriate for a particular patient, palliative treatment for managing symptoms and pain may be offered.
Standard treatments – the currently used and approved treatments – are available to most mesothelioma patients. Potential new treatments are tested in clinical trials, and patients who meet the eligibility criteria may want to consider participating in a clinical trial.
What Are the Standard Treatments for Mesothelioma?
In the early stages of mesothelioma, if you are sufficiently healthy, your doctor may recommend surgery. Your doctor may also recommend radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of both treatments.
In more advanced stages of mesothelioma, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy or immunotherapy to shrink the cancer and reduce its symptoms. Your doctor may also recommend targeted therapy, a treatment that uses drugs or antibodies to identify and attack cancer cells.
The treatment that is most appropriate for a particular mesothelioma patient is determined by the details of that patient’s diagnosis, which may involve a biopsy and a series of imaging tests such as CT (computed tomography) scans.
Clinical Trials: What Should Mesothelioma Patients Know?
Clinical trials are research studies intended to improve current treatments or to test the effectiveness of new treatments. When a clinical trial shows that the new treatment is more successful than a current treatment, that new treatment may be accepted as a standard treatment.
If you’re interested in learning about specific clinical trials, start by talking with your doctor, who may know about a clinical trial that is appropriate for you. Your doctor can help you search for a clinical trial and answer your questions before you make a commitment to participate.
The National Cancer Institute has a fairly comprehensive list of mesothelioma clinical trials in the Unites states, linked here.
Do You Qualify for a Clinical Trial?
To take part in a clinical trial, you’ll need to compare the details of your mesothelioma diagnosis with the eligibility criteria of trials that interest you. Your medical history and current health status must satisfy a clinical trial’s eligibility requirements. Other eligibility criteria may include:
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- Your cancer must be in a particular stage.
- You have (or have not) previously received a particular type of treatment.
- There have (or have not) been specific changes in your tumor.
- You belong to a certain age group and/or gender.
How Will a Mesothelioma Lawyer Help You?
If you were exposed to asbestos because a property owner, manufacturer, contractor, or employer was negligent, you are entitled by law – in every state – to receive compensation for your current and projected medical costs, your lost wages, projected future lost wages, and related damages.
Mesothelioma may take decades to develop, but a California mesothelioma lawyer can usually help you trace your exposure to asbestos, help you identify the liable party or parties, and hold that party or parties accountable on your behalf.
What Action Can You Take?
If you bring a personal injury claim, you should know that most injury claims based on mesothelioma are settled in out-of-court negotiations. You’ll need a lawyer who has substantial negotiating experience as well as abundant trial experience.
If no acceptable settlement amount is offered in private negotiations, or if liability is disputed, your mesothelioma attorney will take your claim to court, explain how you were exposed to asbestos and developed mesothelioma, and ask jurors to order payment of your compensation.
In some states and in some cases, a mesothelioma victim may be qualified to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Your California mesothelioma attorney will determine which legal path you should take.
Let Frost Law Firm Handle Your Mesothelioma Claim
If you are a mesothelioma patient, your medical bills may be overwhelming. Don’t let that keep you from seeking justice. Nationwide, Frost Law Firm handles mesothelioma claims on a contingent fee basis.
You’ll pay no lawyer’s fee upfront, and you’ll owe no lawyer’s fee unless and until you are compensated with a jury verdict, a private settlement, or workers’ comp benefits. If you do not receive compensation at the end of the legal process, you will owe Frost Law Firm nothing.
Your first case evaluation is also provided without obligation or cost. That evaluation is your opportunity to receive personalized advice from a mesothelioma attorney and to learn about your options for recovering compensation in your own case and in your own state.
To schedule your no-obligation, no-cost case evaluation from anywhere in the United States, call Frost Law Firm now at 866-FROST-WINS. If you were exposed to asbestos because of another party’s negligence, we will put the law on your side and fight for the compensation you deserve.
