Whenever a cell in the lining of any of the body’s organs exhibits uncontrolled growth, that lining tissue becomes the site of a malignant growth. Health professional refer to such a growth as malignant mesothelioma. While that condition can develop in various parts of the body, it is most commonly seen in the pleura of the lungs.

An earlier search for the causes of mesothelioma pointed to one dangerous, air born chemical. That chemical is asbestos.Thin fibers make their way into the air sacs of such workers.  Consequently, workers exposed to asbestos on the job make up the majority of patients who present with the symptoms that are characteristic of this cancer of the lung’s pleura.

Those symptoms, which generally appear well beyond the time when a patient’s life can be seen, are four in number. They include appearance of a chronic cough, a coughing up of blood, trouble breathing and pain when swallowing. Because there is no diagnostic test for this condition, demonstration of those four symptoms serves as the a signal that a biopsy should be performed. Only a biopsy can provide physicians with sufficient evidence for diagnosing a telltale and rampant growth of the cells in the lung’s lining.

Unfortunately, the detectable symptoms often appear long after an affected employee has left the asbestos-related job.Thus a biopsy offers evidence well after the growing cells have infiltrated the affected area.  The latency of this disease can pose a problem for a mesothelioma lawyer. However, not all cases have the same lengthy period during which the disease remains latent. In fact, some patients have a genetic predisposition to cancer, and they then develop a cancer of the lung’s pleura earlier than expected.

That too can cause legal problems, especially if the asbestos exposure has been of a more subtle nature. That was the case for one woman in southern California who worked in a building that had that dangerous chemical in its walls. She developed cancer so soon after beginning to work in the vicinity of those danger-filled walls that she had trouble finding legal representation. She died before a decision had been reached in regard to possible compensation.