Mesothelioma Glossary

Actinolite - A basic calcium, magnesium, iron silicate, one of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals forming the group called asbestos. Actinolite was never used in commercial products.

Adjuvant Therapy - treatment used in addition to the main medical treatment.

Affadavit - A written statement whereby the signer swears to its truth before a notary or other judicial officer. A witness's affidavit may be accepted in place of testimony in court.

AJCC Staging System - American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (also called the TNM system), which describes the extent of a cancer's spread in Roman numerals from 0 through IV.

Amosite - Another one of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals forming the group called asbestos. Amosite was a common form of asbestos used in commercial products and is light gray to pale brown in color.

Amphibole - A subgroup of asbestos characterized by crystals forming in a chain-like structure.

Appeal - A request to a higher court to reverse the decision of a trial court's final judgment.

Asbestos - A naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral popular in manufacturing and industry due to its strength, chemical and thermal stability. Types include: chrysotile (which accounted for 95% of industrial use), amosite and crocidolite. The commercial name given to a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral commonly used in construction materials and other products because of its high heat resistance, strength and durability. Over time, exposure to asbestos may lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Asbestos Abatement - The removal of asbestos containing materials from structures. Only a licensed, experienced contractor should perform asbestos removal.

Asbestos Bodies - Inhaled asbestos particles that are imbedded in lung tissue. They are usually drum shaped. Their presence in is considered strong evidence that the person has experienced exposure to asbestos.

Asbestosis - An asbestos-related disease which causes scarring of the lung tissue or a chronic, progressive condition of scar tissue build-up in the lungs resulting from the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Shortness of breath, increased risk of lung infection and permanent lung damage are common symptoms of asbestosis. Also, a form of lung cancer caused by inhaling airborne asbestos fiber involving the scarring of the lung tissue biopsy – a procedure performed with a needle or surgical incision to remove a tissue sample to determine the presence of cancer cells through microscopic analysis.

Ascites - A condition where fluid builds up in the peritoneal space of the abdomen. This is associated with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Biopsy - A procedure performed with a needle or surgical incision to remove a tissue sample to determine the presence of cancer cells through microscopic analysis. Bleb - An elevation of the skin not normally exceeding 1-2 cm., that is filled with fluid.

Bronchoscopy - A thin, lighted tube (bronchoscope) inserted through the nose or mouth to examine the breathing passages at the entrance to your lungs.

Butchart Staging System – The staging system most often used for mesothelioma. It is divided into Stages I – IV with the levels determined by the tissue involved.

Carcinogenic - Substances that produce cancer or cancer growth; of that which is known to cause cancer. Asbestos is known carcinogen, or cancer-causing substance.

Carcinoma - Malignant tissue, usually in the form of a tumor originating in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.

Chrysotile - Silicate of magnesium and one of the six fibrous minerals forming the group called asbestos. Chrysotile made up close to all of industrial asbestos and is the only "non-amphibole" asbestos-belonging to the serpentine category.

Crocidolite - A member of the amphibole group of asbestos, this fibrous mineral is referred to as "blue asbestos" as it is often blue in color.

Chrysotile - An important source of asbestos accounting for 90% of all asbestos used. Its grey or green fibers take the shape of a spiral and flexible.

Class Action Lawsuit - A lawsuit filed by personal injury victim(s) on their own behalf as well as a larger group “who are similarly situated”. All participants are bounded together by the outcome.

Clubbing - Refers to a condition in which the tips of the fingers and the nails curve inward due to inadequate supply of oxygen rich blood.

Chronic Bronchitis - A condition characterized with increased mucus secretions and caused by viral infections, manifested with prolonged exposure to bronchial irritants.

Chemotherapy - Drug treatment to destroy cancer cells.

Claim - Demand for money or relief.

Clinical Trails - Research studies that test new medical treatments and other interventions work in people. Tests may be preventative, diagnostic or therapeutic.

Class Action - A lawsuit filed by one or more personal injury victims (plaintiffs) on their own behalf as well as a larger group "who are similarly situated". The decision is binding to all parties.

Complaint - The first document filed with the court by the plaintiff stating the factual and legal basis for claiming legal rights against the defendant(s).

Defendant - The party from whom the plaintiff is seeking damages or corrective action because of a negligent, unlawful or improper act.

Edema - Swelling caused by an excess accumulation of fluid in the internal organs and body tissue, associated with injury or inflammation as related to heart or kidney failure.

Endoscope - An illuminated optic instrument that is inserted through an incision.

Epidemiology - The scientific study of frequency and distribution of disease amongst a population, including factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or the statistical study of the distribution and determinants of disease in populations.

Fibrosis - Formation of fibrous, scar-like tissue.

Friable - Of a material which when dry, may be crumbled, crushed, pulverized, or reduced to powder by normal hand pressure.

Hemoptysis - Literally coughing up blood that has been secreted into the respiratory tract due to bleeding. A warning sign of a more serious disease.

Hypertension - Condition more commonly known as high blood pressure, sufferers of hypertension are at a higher risk of heart disease and kidney disease.

Imaging Tests - Takes pictures of the lungs and can detect problems such as a mass, an infection, air in the pleural space. Visual imaging tests include; chest x-rays, CTs (computed tomography).

Intrapleurally - Administering directly into the chest cavity, sometimes medicine or chemotherapy treatments.

Intraperitoneally - Administering directly into the abdominal cavity, sometimes medicine or chemotherapy treatments.

Intraoperative - Photodynamic therapy is a new treatment that uses special drugs and light to kill cancer cells. Its use in the early states of mesothelioma in the chest is being studied.

Judgement - An official court order deciding the rights or claims of the parties in a legal proceeding. Invasive Cancer - Cancer characterized by spreading from its point of origination into other tissues and organs.

Jurisdiction - A power constitutionally conferred upon a judge or magistrate, to take cognizance of and decide causes according to law and to carry his sentence into execution. The tract of land or district within which a judge or magistrate has jurisdiction, is called his territory.

Lawsuit - A legal action by one person or entity against another person or entity.

Latency Period - The period from initial exposure to a substance to the onset of the disease.

Lung Cancer - Uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in lung tissue.

Malignant Mesothelioma - A very rare form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure that occurs in the sac lining of the chest (pleural mesothelioma) or abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), or the lining of the heart (pericardial mesothelioma).

Mediastinoscopy - A tube is inserted through an incision above the breastbone to look at the area between the lungs

Mesothelioma - Malignant tumor of the mesothelium caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. A rare cancer, usually found in those exposed to asbestos, in the form of a malignant tumor in the mesothelium of the lungs and or abdomen. Symptoms of this incurable disease are persistent coughing or coughing of blood, chest or abdomen pain, fatigue, and weight loss.

Mesothelium - Tissue formed by specialized cells lining the chest, abdominal cavities and outer surface of most internal organs. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that helps protect organs by enabling them to move.

Malignant Mesothelioma - A fatal cancerous tumor that grows uncontrollably over the surface of the lung, heart and abdominal cavity.

Metastasis, Metastases(s) - Spread of cancer from the original site to new, expanded and remote sites.

MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a diagnostic procedure that uses a magnetic field to provide three-dimensional images of internal body structures.

Needle biopsy - A procedure where a needle is inserted through a bronchoscope or the chest wall to collect tissue or fluid.

Negligence - Failure to exercise the care toward others which would reasonably be expected of a person in the circumstances, or taking action which a reasonable person would not.

Oncologist - A physician specializing in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Oncology - The branch of medicine devoted to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Para Occupational Exposure - Exposure to asbestos through the fibers that cling to worker's clothing, shoes, skin and hair.

Pathologist - A specialist physician expert in the origin and development of disease and the microscopic analysis of body tissues.

Peritoneal - Having to do with the peritoneum (the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in the abdomen).

PET Scan - Positron Emission Tomography test used to verify mesothelioma diagnosis.

Plaintiff - the party who initiates a lawsuit by filing a complaint with the clerk of the court against the defendant(s).

Pleura - Membrane lining that covers the lungs and the interior of the chest cavity.

Pleural Effusion - Accumulation of fluid between the lining of the lung and the chest cavity.

Pleural Mesothelioma - Cancer of the pleura (membrane lining the lungs and chest cavity). Pleural Mesothelioma is different from lung cancer, which refers to any type of malignant tumor that originates in the lungs, while Pleural Mesothelioma impacts the pleura. The pleura, is the tissue (pleural membranes) lining that surrounds the lungs. There are two pleura membranes that protect the lungs by producing a lubricating fluid that fills the space between the pleura and the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma accounting for 80-90% of mesothelioma cases.

Pleurectomy - A surgical procedure to remove part of the chest or abdomen lining (pleura) and some of the tissue around it.

Pleurodesis - A treatment administered through a thorascopy or existing chest tube.

Pneumoconiosis - Fibrosis and scarring of the lungs as a result of repeated inhalation of occupationally associated dust, such as silica, asbestos, and coal dust.

Pneumoconiosis - Fibrosis and scarring of the lungs as a result of repeated inhalation of dust like silica, asbestos and coal dust.

Pneumonectomy - Surgical procedure to remove the entire lung.

Pulmonary Emphysema - A chronic disease of the lungs in which enough functional units (alveoli) have been destroyed by disease to prevent proper exchange of gases within the units. As a result, new air in the lung spaces cannot be efficiently utilized for oxygenation purposes.

Pulmonary Function Tests - Measure how well the lungs are working and include: Spirometry, which measures the amount of air the lungs can hold; lung volume tests to measure the amount of air remaining in the lungs after exhaling; lung diffusion tests and pulse oxymora which measure the amount of oxygen passed from the lungs to the blood.

Pulmonologist - A specialist physician expert in the treatment of lung disease.

Pneumoconiosis - Fibrosis and scarring of the lungs as a result of repeated inhalation of respiratory irritants, such as asbestos.

Radiation Therapy - Treatment with high-energy rays to destroy or shrink cancer cells.

Risk Factor - Something that increases the likelihood of cancer.

Screening - Testing for disease in people without symptoms.

Serpentine Asbestos - Asbestos characterized by curly fibers with a layered or tiered structure. Chrysotile, or white asbestos, is a member of the serpentine group and is also the most common form of asbestos used in industrial applications in the U.S.

Settlement - Resolution of a lawsuit or legal dispute prior to a final court judgment.

Statute of Limitations - Sets the maximum period after which the right to file a lawsuit expires. A law limiting the length of time a potential plaintiff has to file a lawsuit. These statutes vary depending on circumstances.

Tremolite - Once of the six varying forms of asbestos, characterized by translucent bright- to gray-green tough interlocking fibers which are flexible and elastic.

Trial - The examination of facts and law presided over by a judge with authority to hear the matter.

Wrongful Death - Alleges that the deceased was killed as a result of the defendant(s)' negligence or other liability and that survivors and dependents are entitled to monetary damages as a result of the defendant's action. This is the claim that someone else was responsible for the death of another through negligence or other liability and that survivors and/or the estate of the deceased are entitled to damages.

This site is intended as a public resource for those gathering information about Mesothelioma. For more resources, use our search box below.

	Web www.MesotheliomaCrisisCenter.com

Web www.MesotheliomaCrisisCenter.com | Inquiries

© Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved.