Mesothelioma is a sort of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malicious cells develop in the mesothelium, a protecting lining that covers almost all of the body's internal organs. Its commonest site is the pleura ( outer liner of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it could also happen in the peritoneum ( the liner of the intestinal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.

A person who has developed mesothelioma cancer is described in medical jargon as a mesothelioma patient. This type of cancer is rare and usually detected only at advanced stages and these two factors combine to make the cancer much deadlier than most tumors. In most cases, a person gets affected after inhaling air filled with asbestos particles for prolonged periods. Mostly, it is workers employed in asbestos extraction or companies using asbestos as raw material who are affected, but family members of such workers and people staying near asbestos mines can also contract this deadly disease.

Every mesothelioma patient is entitled for money compensation from his employers. Mesothelioma attack results in damage of health, untold sufferings as a result of health loss, loss of income, heavy medical expenses etc and mesothelioma laws enable the patient to tide over some of these problems by providing a good compensation amount. Family members of such patients are also entitles for such damages in some cases. The disease lies dormant for many years and it is usually detected after the situation is too serious for recovery. Damages accrued from mesothelioma litigations or settlements help the patient to tide over medical and household expenses.

Mesothelioma is a deadly disease that affects the mesothelium, a protective coating on crucial organs like lungs, heart, abdomen, liver, etc. The thin fibers of asbestos cause some chemical reactions in the mesothelium cells, which result in abnormal division of these cells and the membrane becomes cancerous. Symptoms become visible only after the infection reaches our vital internal organs and by then, the situation would be too bad for effective recovery. The usual symptoms a mesothelioma patient may witness are difficulty in breathing, pain around the chest, continued cough, high fever and so on. In many cases, the cancer is detected when a physician conduct detailed tests for treating some other minor ailments like fever, pain and cough.

There are four stages of mesothelioma cancer. The first, the initial stage, is categorized as stage 1 and can be cured by local surgery. Stage 2 requires more aggressive tactics like surgery combined with medication and radiotherapy. Stage 3 and 4 patients are not so lucky because they would have to undergo prolonged treatment, and even then, the prognosis of mesothelioma is not too bright. The lifespan of a mesothelioma patient in advanced stages can be increased through modern therapies which include immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and gene therapy.