The rare disease

The deadly disease of mesothelioma is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year. The only established cause of this cancer is exposure to asbestos. The real tragedy is that this fatal disease could have been avoided. Most mesothelioma sufferers were unwittingly exposed to deadly asbestos at work.

At Belluck & Fox, asbestos and mesothelioma lawyers, we focus on mesothelioma cases, holding negligent companies accountable for the pain and suffering they inflicted on their unsuspecting employees. We have built an extensive document library and we retain a team of experts to successfully represent mesothelioma victims and their families with their claims. We have recovered over $200 million in lawsuits for clients with mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer, and we can help you get the financial compensation you deserve as you fight this deadly disease.

Mesothelioma is an asbestos-caused cancer of the membranes that surround many of the body’s vital organs. This membrane, known as mesothelium, secretes a lubricating fluid that provides easy movement of the organs within the body. When the mesothelium becomes cancerous, it is called mesothelioma. Surrounding the lung, the mesothelium is called the pleura and the form of mesothelioma is called pleural mesothelioma; in the abdomen, it is the peritoneum and the cancer is called peritoneal mesothelioma; the lining around the heart is the pericardium and there mesothelioma is identified as pericardial mesothelioma. There is also mesothelial tissue in the reproductive organs: in males, this tissue is called the tunica vaginalis testis and in women the tunica serosa uteri. Mesothelioma of the reproductive tissues has only presented in men, so it is known as mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis.

Mesothelioma is a diffuse malignancy and spreads itself throughout a tissue area. Some forms of cancer are characterized by a single, solid tumor mass, whereas malignant mesothelioma presents as an invasion of a large number of smaller masses throughout an entire area. The diffuse nature of mesothelioma has important implications for how treatment, as complete surgical extraction of the cancer is difficult.