Epithelioid mesothelioma is the most common of the three mesothelioma cancers that are diagnosed, due to inhalation of asbestos particles. Since the mid 1930s, doctors have known that working around this material will cause life-threatening results, but corporations continued using it in hundreds of applications for several more decades. Typically, a person will not become diagnosed with this form of until from fifteen to fifty years have passed.

In some cases, people who worked on movie sets or sound stages have contracted this horrific cancer that impairs the membrane protecting body’s major organs, called mesothelium, as it has been used as sound proofing material in the past, and sprayed on the walls to keep exterior noise levels down. Epithelioid mesothelima unfortunately is usually not detected until it has metastasized to stage three, and then patients usually only have from eight to eleven months before it takes their life.

If you have a family member that has worked in the construction industry, and has deep breathing issues, regular chest infections, or pneumonia like symptoms, then they should go in for testing immediately. Most retired individuals from that industry should schedule annual chest x-rays and CT scans to try to catch the disease in the early stages. Further tests include PET scans and needle tissue biopsies to try to find this disease in stage one of its advancement. Patients will have a fifty percent survival rate if caught early on, based on a 5 year prognosis. Heavy chemical and radiation treatments are the main weapons used to fight the cancer, as researchers look for alternative solutions that will detect the symptoms at its initial onset.

Diagnosed patients are also advised to explore their legal options for a compensation settlement claim or lawsuit, especially if the disease can be linked back to occupational asbestos exposure. Specialized mesothelioma lawyers offer free consultations and further to that, also may agree to work on a contingency basis. This means, that they will only receive a honorarium if they are able to successfully litigate the case and manage to recover monetary compensation for the personal asbestos injuries.