Mesothelioma and lung cancer are two types of cancer. To that extent, they are related, but otherwise they are quite different.
Lung cancer affects the lungs proper. This includes the bronchi (tubes that carry air into the lungs) and the alveoli (air sacs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide cross to and from the blood stream). Most often lung cancer originates in the most immediate parts of the lung, the epithelial cells of the bronchi.
Mesothelioma, on the other hand, affects the membrane that enfolds the lungs, which are called the pleura.
Lung cancer is relatively common, the third most common type of cancer (after breast and prostate cancers), and it results in more cancer deaths than any other type. Mesothelioma is a relatively rare type of cancer, with only 2500 cases diagnosed per year, about 1/100 the number of lung cancer cases.
Lung cancer has many potential causes. Most lung cancer is attributable to smoking, but it may also be caused by car and chemical fumes, radon exposure, and asbestos exposure. However, pleural mesothelioma has only one cause: asbestos.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness from those who exposed you to asbestos.
To learn whether you might be able to receive compensation for your illness, please contact The Law Office of Brown | Kiely, LLP for a free consultation today.
