COMMON TREATMENTS FOR MESOTHELIOMA CANCER

There are four types of treatment of Mesothelioma cancer.

• MESOTHELIOMA SURGERY

• CHEMOTHERAPY

• RADIATION THERAPY

• MULTI-MODAL THERAPY

Surgery : 

If your cancer is relatively contained in the lining around the lungs or the abdomen, you may be eligible for aggressive surgery. This option can be potentially curative. In addition to an aggressive surgery, you may be given some type of radiation and chemotherapy with the goal of killing the cancer cells that are left behind after surgery.

There also are less traumatic and more palliative surgeries available. Often these are used if you are not healthy enough to withstand the strain of a major surgery, or if the cancer already has spread. The goal of these surgeries is to relieve some of your symptoms and help you to feel better. You may also have chemotherapy and radiation before or after these surgeries.

Chemotherapy :

Chemotherapy is used in treating most types of cancer, including mesothelioma. Chemotherapy drugs, which are usually delivered by an IV into a vein in your arm, are designed to kill cancer cells.

The most common and most successful chemotherapy drugs for someone with mesothelioma are cisplatin and pemetrexed. A milder chemotherapy cocktail that uses pemetrexed with carboplatin often achieves the same results but with fewer side effects.

If you have peritoneal mesothelioma, your doctor may suggest a multimodal treatment called heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Also known as heated chemotherapy, this therapy is given immediately after surgery to help kill off the microscopic cancer cells that surgeons unavoidably miss. In one study involving more than 400 peritoneal patients, overall median survival after HIPEC extended beyond four years.

Because chemotherapy drugs affect cancer cells as well as healthy cells, you may feel worse after treatment. This is why some patients choose not to have chemotherapy. For many people, however, this feeling and other negative side effects wear off over time, and they experience notable improvements. A good specialist can help you understand your options.

Radiation Therapy : 

Radiation therapy is noninvasive and uses high-energy rays to target the cancer. It is typically paired with other treatment options to help shrink tumors or manage tumor growth. It doesn’t have the strong side effects that chemotherapy does, and it often helps reduce the physical pain of mesothelioma.

However, because radiation can be toxic to various organs, and damages DNA while killing cancer cells, it is used sparingly and only with certain types of mesothelioma. Radiation also can be used in a palliative situation when surgery is no longer an option.

MULTIMODAL THERAPY :

While each cancer treatment option may have benefits by itself, cancer specialists often opt for a more effective multimodal approach — a patient-tailored mix of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. This strategy involves specialists in each field putting together a plan that is right for you.

Some people who try this multi-faceted approach are able to control mesothelioma. The key is involving specialists in each of the fields working together.

DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT OF PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in the thin cell walls surrounding the abdominal cavity, known as the peritoneum. This thin membrane acts a lubricant within the abdominal cavity so that surrounding organs and internal body structures may contract and expand within their normal body function. Incidence of peritoneal mesothelioma is quite rare, and typically presents in less than 500 individuals in the United States each year.

Other types of mesothelioma include the more common malignant pleural mesothelioma, occurring in the chest wall membrane surrounding the lungs, and malignant pericardial mesothelioma, which occurs in the pericardial lining of the heart. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second rarest form of the disease and accounts for approximately 20% of all mesothelioma cases each year.

WHAT CAUSES PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA?

Peritoneal mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos, a microscopic natural fiber that was used heavily in industry. Asbestos is said to reach the abdominal wall by one of two methods. The first is through ingested asbestos fibers which are processed through digestion and become lodged in the peritoneum. The other method is through the lungs and lymph nodes by inhaled asbestos fibers. Malignant mesothelioma of the pleura is also known to metastasize directly into the abdominal cavity if its spread is not slowed.

Many of those who have worked with asbestos materials have developed peritoneal mesothelioma as a result of exposure to friable asbestos fibers. Asbestos was used in a myriad of industrial materials and construction products. Exposure to asbestos was common in aluminum plants, steel mills, power plants, and naval shipyards.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a relatively rare disease, with only 200-500 diagnoses each year in the United States being documented. Risk, however, is sustained in those who have been exposed to asbestos. Even those exposed many years ago are potentially at risk for the development of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Latency between exposure to asbestos and the development of peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms can range anywhere from 20-50 years. Misdiagnosis is common because peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms closely mimic minor stomach/abdominal discomfort and hernia. Nevertheless, those with clear asbestos exposure history should be aware of their risk of disease and speak with their doctor or cancer specialist if they believe they may be experiencing symptoms indicative of mesothelioma.




HOW IS PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA TREATED?

Prognosis of mesothelioma patients is poor, and peritoneal mesothelioma patients are no exception. Most peritoneal treatment regimens for patients include palliative methods such as mesothelioma chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, if the disease is diagnosed in its earlier stages, patients such as those diagnosed with stage 1 mesothelioma, may be eligible for surgical resection of the disease, which could potentially add years to the initial prognosis.

Surgery is possible for patients diagnosed with earlier-stage disease. Some surgical options include peritonectomy and palliative procedures. Certain physicians, including Dr. David Sugarbaker of the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, have become extremely well versed and experienced in the surgical treatment of malignant mesothelioma. In many cases, surgical treatment for mesothelioma will be coupled with chemotherapy or radiation therapy regimens.

Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for mesothelioma disease. Currently, there is only a single chemotherapy regimen (Alimta® (pemetrexed) in conjunction with Cisplatin) approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a prescribed therapy for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. There are however, dozens of clinical trials being conducted for mesothelioma patients experimenting with new drugs, including Gemcitabine, Navelbine, Onconase, and others for the treatment of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

HOW IS PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA DIAGNOSED?

Doctors may suspect peritoneal mesothelioma if the patient complains of stomach, chest, or abdominal pain. Suspicious hernias may actually be a peritoneal effusion caused by peritoneal tumor growth. Misdiagnosis is common and patients will likely undergo multiple imaging scans and a diagnostic biopsy before an official diagnosis is made.

Diagnostic procedures in which fluid is extracted from the peritoneum for lab testing are the only way to conclusively diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma. Samples will be examined for the presence of malignant cells. Once malignant cells are detected, further testing will be needed to classify these cells as malignant mesothelioma.

COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PERITNOEAL MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT

The costs associated with treatment for a peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosis can be often be very significant. Sometimes insurance companies may not cover the cost of diagnostic tests, clinical trials or other experimental therapies. If you or a loved one is diagnosed, you should strongly consider taking steps to help offset this potential financial burden. Learn more about the financial assistance that is available to you if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma and exposed to asbestos. Financial aid options available to you can include mesothelioma trust funds as well as grants to cover travel, treatment and housing.

NEW YORK MESOTHELIOMA LAW FIRM PIONEERS

For over 25 years, the mesothelioma attorneys at Levy Konigsberg LLP have been recognized by clients and other lawyers alike as the “right attorneys” for the legal needs of mesothelioma victims across the United States. The decades of successful representation of mesothelioma patients have helped our lawyers develop an unparalleled arsenal of knowledge, experience, skills, and reputation that has enabled them to obtain substantial recoveries on behalf of so many mesothelioma victims and their family members all over America.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, we encourage you to explore our attorneys’ track record, so that you too can make the right choice and get the mesothelioma lawyers that will stand by you and fight relentlessly until you receive the justice and compensation you deserve.

Here’s a summary of who we are and what we have to offer:




Pioneers of mesothelioma litigation in America
Massive knowledge of asbestos law and science
Unparalleled experience among mesothelioma attorneys
Hundreds of asbestos and mesothelioma cases tried before jury
Record mesothelioma and asbestos compensation verdicts
Highest peer reviews and ratings
Hundreds of satisfied clients
Caring and understanding personnel
Personally handling mesothelioma cases
Individual approach and attention to every case
No upfront costs for handling your mesothelioma case
Fast handling of mesothelioma cases
Frequent case updates and high accessibility
Everything you would expect from the right mesothelioma attorneys
PIONEERS OF MESOTHELIOMA LITIGATION IN AMERICA

Since the 1970s, our founding partners were pioneers in championing the rights of asbestos and mesothelioma victims. In fact, Stan Levy was the first personal injury lawyer in the Northeast to pursue an asbestos case and one of the first mesothelioma attorneys in America.

Later in 1985, he and the founding partners Steven Phillips and Alan Konigsberg formed the law firm with a mission to apply their remarkable legal expertise to seek justice and financial compensation on behalf of asbestos and mesothelioma victims across the United States.

MASSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF ASBESTOS LAW AND SCIENCE

Since the 1980s, the law firm has evolved into a nationwide powerhouse for mesothelioma litigation in the U.S. Our mesothelioma lawyers have represented numerous individuals and groups of workers and won for them multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts.




Understanding the science of asbestos exposure is an invaluable resource. One of the many benefits of our early involvement in mesothelioma litigation is our access to pioneering researchers and experts in this complex and ever-changing medical field. We put these experts to work on behalf of our clients, in the courtroom and in treatment of their disease.

Since then, our attorneys have amassed considerable knowledge of asbestos-related diseases and the law that applies to them. Our lawyers have combined that knowledge and expertise into a powerful resource for our mesothelioma clients and their family members.

UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE AMONG MESOTHELIOMA ATTORNEYS

Our founding partners still practice with the firm and are joined by our second and third generation of mesothelioma attorneys. These lawyers bring to bear on every case a level of experience that can only come from decades of working together toward a common goal – maximum compensation for mesothelioma victims and their families.

Each new generation of mesothelioma attorneys at the firm acquires the skills, techniques, and knowledge of our senior partners through mentoring relationships. Not only does this benefit every lawyer, it benefits our clients in the form of consistently successful representation.

HUNDREDS OF ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA CASES TRIED BEFORE JURY

Our mesothelioma attorneys fight for justice for the innocent people – the victims of deadly asbestos exposure. Companies that knew the threat asbestos poses must be held accountable for the illnesses that resulted from their negligence.

Our lawyers have succeeded by negotiating vigorously with manufacturers of asbestos products and their insurance companies, no matter how influential or uncooperative they are. Our attorneys are often able to recover compensation even from those companies that have long been bankrupt.

Most defense lawyers are familiar with our solid reputation and credentials and know in advance that we will not settle for less than the best possible offer. They know that we build every mesothelioma and asbestos case as if it is going to trial, and we have taken hundreds of cases to juries when a fair settlement had not been offered.

The mesothelioma attorneys at Levy Konigsberg LLP have also served as lead counsels in major state and federal mass consolidation cases designed to benefit many hundreds of people diagnosed with mesothelioma and other types of asbestos-related diseases.

RECORD MESOTHELIOMA AND ASBESTOS COMPENSATION VERDICTS

Mesothelioma attorneys at Levy Konigsberg LLP have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for victims of mesothelioma and asbestos cancers.

We are proud of the work our lawyers do on behalf of our clients, often in groundbreaking cases against the toughest defendants. Our law firm has obtained landmark asbestos and mesothelioma jury verdicts for exposures to welding rods, cable, asbestos gaskets and packing, commercial talc, and industrial equipment, including the first ever jury verdicts against welding rod, cable, and commercial talk manufacturers.

Our law firm is frequently referenced by the legal press for our association with the largest and landmark asbestos and mesothelioma verdicts in virtually every category, including various jurisdictions, types of asbestos products involved, and forms of asbestos exposure.

HIGHEST PEER REVIEWS AND RATINGS

Our mesothelioma attorneys’ efforts are not only recognized by juries, but by colleagues who continually deem us to be top-rated Super Lawyers® and Best Lawyers®.

Six of the firm’s eight partners have been honored with an AV® Preeminent™ rating, the highest given, from the nationwide Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™.

Year after year, the six partners are designated by their peers as Super Lawyers® and five of them as the Best Lawyers® in America.

Our asbestos lawyers’ knowledge and experience are in high demand – they are invited to speak at a number of nationwide conferences held in different parts of the country every year.

HUNDREDS OF SATISFIED CLIENTS

Our clients are the central and most precious part of our law firm’s practice, and their satisfaction is our top goal and priority. We get the greatest motivation to our continued success in this area of law from our clients’ appreciation of our work.

We are inspired by our clients’ gratitude, which is expressed so emotionally during our meetings and phone conversations with them, through their letters and thank you cards, as well as video testimonials, some of which you can review right on this website.

CARING AND UNDERSTANDING PERSONNEL

For clients, we understand that their case is their whole life. Our attorneys treat them with the care they deserve. We address their unique needs and do our utmost to help them put their life back together as much as possible.

The first days and weeks following a mesothelioma diagnosis are devastating. They want answers. They need solutions.

At Levy Konigsberg LLP our lawyers understand their fears and frustrations. We have seen it in countless mesothelioma cases throughout our practice. That is why we have made it our unwavering mission to help.

Hundreds of mesothelioma victims and their family members trust us, because our attorneys have stood by their side and fought for their rights. They have been there for them from beginning to end to ensure that they had the legal guidance and support they needed.

PERSONALLY HANDLING MESOTHELIOMA CASES

Countless lawyers who advertise to position themselves as mesothelioma attorneys have never actually handled an asbestos case before. In fact, they refer them out to real mesothelioma lawyers for a fee. That is not how we operate. We are the real mesothelioma attorneys who work personally on each case from beginning to end and always happy to meet our clients, whether at our New York or New Jersey offices or at a client’s home or hospital anywhere in the country.

INDIVIDUAL APPROACH AND ATTENTION TO EVERY CASE

Unfortunately, many law firms today use a generalized approach to handling cases of the same type, even those as complex as mesothelioma cases. With a goal of cutting back on the time spent on each case, they use broad brush practices and techniques to process cases as fast as they can often risking the possibility of missing important details in a case and thus undermining the goal of negotiating the best possible compensation for their clients. Contrary to such mentality, we treat every case as if it was our only one. We investigate each case with a team of lawyers, paralegals, and leading experts in the field, while being in constant communication with the clients, to ensure that we have done everything we could to reach the full potential of each individual case.

NO UPFRONT COSTS FOR HANDLING YOUR MESOTHELIOMA CASE

We offer a free initial consultation, and cover the expenses of building your case, so there is no cost to you unless we recover compensation for you.

FAST HANDLING OF MESOTHELIOMA CASES

In many courts, mesothelioma cases are treated urgently and given high priority. This is particularly true if the claimant is alive. In some jurisdictions, the entire case can be resolved within four to five months; in others, it can take longer.

Here, at Levy Konigsberg LLP our attorneys do everything possible to avoid delays and move our cases as quickly as we can. This is accomplished thanks to the coordinated work of our team members and the fact that every mesothelioma case goes through a strict control and supervision, including regular follow-ups and reviews by the lead lawyers.

EVERYTHING YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM THE RIGHT MESOTHELIOMA ATTORNEYS

As a client of Levy Konigsberg LLP, you should expect of our mesothelioma attorneys the highest level of professionalism, amicability, and genuine interest in achieving the maximum possible results in your case.

As part of the services on your mesothelioma case, our lawyers will be ready and happy to:

Answer all of your questions;
Obtain your medical history;
Link you with nationally recognized specialists;
Consider your work history to determine your exposure location;
Front the costs for pursuing your case;
Hire medical, economic, engineering, and vocational experts;
Build a solid case;
File a claim on your behalf against the responsible party or parties;
Negotiate vigorously for an optimal settlement that can cover various elements of damage including:
Past, future, and experimental medical treatment expenses;
Lost wages and future earning power;
Pain and suffering;
Loss of consortium;
Take your case to trial, when necessary, to obtain fair compensation;
Appeal adverse rulings or verdicts to higher courts, if necessary.
Don’t entrust your case to just any mesothelioma attorneys. See the difference a team of AV-rated Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers, can make in your case and in your life just as our lawyers have done right by hundreds of other satisfied clients.

NOTE: While our offices are located in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Georgia, many of our mesothelioma lawyers are licensed to practice law in a number of U.S. states and have the capability and extensive experience of representing mesothelioma clients throughout the United States.

SELECTING A MESOTHELIOMA AND ASBESTOS LAWYER

FINDING A MESOTHELIOMA AND ASBESTOS ATTORNEY TO MEET YOUR NEEDS

When you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related injury such as mesothelioma, it may be the first time you have ever considered hiring an attorney. Choosing the right mesothelioma and asbestos lawyer can give you peace of mind during the difficult times of medical treatments, bills and other stressful events.

California mesothelioma lawyer who handle asbestos claims vary widely in their approaches. Many attorneys will offer an initial consultation after which they will be able to evaluate the strength of a case. While this prescreening is often done over the phone, an in-person consult is important and useful as it will enable you to get to know the lawyer, the firm, the types of resources the firm has and how it is likely to handle your asbestos-related disease case.

KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A MESOTHELIOMA AND ASBESTOS ATTORNEY

Will the firm handle all aspects of your case? It is important to ensure that your prospective attorney will actually file your case and not simply send it off to some other law firm. At Brayton Purcell LLP, we will keep your case, work up your case, and handle any settlement or litigation. We are NOT a referral firm like many of the mesothelioma ad firms you see on TV.

Get the information you desire: An initial consultation with a prospective attorney should be informative — ask frank questions.

Seek legal advice as soon as possible: Contacting an attorney as soon as you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease or when you know that you have been exposed to asbestos can help preserve a wide range of legal options.

Does the firm have experience with these types of cases? Make sure your prospective attorney has experience in taking asbestos or mesothelioma cases to trial.

Does the firm have the proper resources? Your prospective attorney should have the information and resources needed to help you prove your asbestos claim.

WHEN SHOULD I CONTACT A LAWYER REGARDING ASBESTOS EXPOSURE?

This question is a particularly important in cases involving toxic substances. Unlike a car wreck, for example, where injuries are often readily apparent, the symptoms of asbestos-related diseases may take decades to develop. Cancers such as mesothelioma may not develop until five to 70 years after the initial exposure.

Asbestos fibers are microscopic and dangerous levels of dust are often not recognizable to the person working with or around asbestos, the person who washes the clothing of a loved one who has worked near other workers using asbestos containing products, but did not himself work directly with asbestos containing products.  Due to their microscopic and invasive nature, harmful exposure to asbestos fibers may occur without a person ever knowing it.

For both legal and medical reasons, as soon as you are aware that you were exposed to products containing asbestos and may be at risk of developing a serious disease, you should consult an experienced lawyer to determine what your legal rights are, and when and how they should best be protected.

SETTLEMENT OR TRIAL? WHY EXPERIENCE MATTERS.

While we always try to settle our cases for an appropriate amount without the risk and expense of trial, we strongly believe that the best asbestos trial lawyers achieve the best results. Defendants and their attorneys respect and regularly evaluate the trial skills of a plaintiff’s lawyer when deciding how to respond to a lawsuit. When defendants know that they are dealing with an experienced mesothelioma attorney who is able to efficiently try a case and obtain a verdict, they are much more likely to be engaged in settlement negotiations.

Lawsuits involving asbestos exposure benefit from a law firm that has experience with jury trials, an understanding of construction and building practices, and keeps up to date with cutting-edge medical science. When it comes time to choosing legal counsel, your attorney of choice should not only have a proven track record in mesothelioma and asbestos litigation, settlement and trials, but he or she should also have a substantial commitment to asbestos and mesothelioma cases as an integral part of his or her practice.

WHAT IS OUR TRACK RECORD IN MESOTHELIOMA AND ASBESTOS CASES?

Our trial california mesothelioma lawyer and attorneys have achieved some of the largest verdicts ever handed down in California in an asbestos case — over $70 million to a retired U.S. Navy machinist’s mate suffering from mesothelioma and over $41 million to a retired California plumber also suffering from mesothelioma. We have also obtained the largest asbestos rewards inOregon for asbestosis and Washington for mesothelioma. In Utah, we obtained the only asbestos verdict ever handed down — a $5.2 million verdict for a woman suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma.

While we cannot guarantee the outcome of any case, our attorneys vigorously fight for the rights of our clients. See our record of court successes for a more detailed list of verdicts involving mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other personal injury claims. We try more asbestos cases than any other plaintiffs firm.

PUTTING OUR RESOURCES TO WORK

Our legal team has created an extensive computer database of information on asbestos products and manufacturers from around the world. This massive collection runs in excess of 34,000 lineal feet, over 10,000 volumes of depositions and transcripts, and more than 6 million pages of data on asbestos work site conditions, asbestos product identification and other information necessary to maximize the value of a mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis or other asbestos-related disease case.

We are able to cross-reference the specifics of a client’s mesothelioma or asbestos case with this invaluable evidence previously identified in thousands of cases. This unique ability ensures that your case will be built upon the strongest evidence available to help you achieve the best possible results.

CONTACT THE LAWYERS AT BRAYTON PURCELL LLP

We would be pleased if you would consider our attorneys when making a decision on whom to hire for your asbestos disease lawsuit. Please don’t be fooled into hiring a so-called “mesothelioma firm” from a television commercial. Most of those “firms” are little more than referral services. To find out how we can help you, contact us online or through our main offices in California, Oregon and Utah. We handle mesothelioma and asbestos cases in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Iowa, and throughout the nation, associating with high-quality local counsel when necessary.