Mesothelioma treatment and legal claims involve complicated terminology. This glossary explains the words you’re most likely to encounter, in plain English, with links to more detailed guides.
A
- Adjuvant Therapy — Additional treatment given after surgery (e.g., chemo, radiation).
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) — Legal process (mediation/arbitration) to resolve cases without trial.
- Amosite — Brown asbestos fiber once common in insulation.
- Appeal — Legal process of challenging a court’s decision.
- Asbestos — Group of heat-resistant minerals that cause mesothelioma.
- Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts — Funds established to compensate asbestos victims.
- Asbestosis — Lung scarring disease caused by asbestos exposure.
- Ascites — Fluid buildup in the abdomen, linked to peritoneal mesothelioma.
B
- Benign Tumor — Non-cancerous growth.
- Biopsy — Removal of tissue sample to confirm mesothelioma.
- Biphasic Mesothelioma — Cancer with both epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells.
- Brachytherapy — Internal radiation therapy.
- Brief (Legal) — Written argument filed in court.
C
- Case Management Order (CMO) — Court schedule for mesothelioma lawsuits.
- Causation — Legal requirement linking asbestos exposure to disease.
- Chemotherapy — Drug treatment to kill or slow cancer cells.
- Cisplatin — Common chemotherapy drug for mesothelioma.
- Clinical Trial — Research study testing new treatments.
- Compensation — Financial recovery for asbestos victims.
- Contingency Fee — Lawyer’s fee paid only if the case is won.
- Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) — Tumor removal surgery, often with HIPEC.
D
- Damages — Money awarded in lawsuits.
- Defendant — Party accused in a lawsuit.
- Deposition — Sworn testimony given before trial.
- Diffuse Pleural Thickening — Lung lining scarring caused by asbestos.
- Discovery (Legal) — Exchange of evidence before trial.
E
- Epithelioid Mesothelioma — Most common, more treatable cell type.
- Excision — Surgical removal of tissue.
- Exemplary Damages — Punitive damages awarded to punish negligence.
- Exhalation Exposure — Breathing in asbestos fibers.
F
- Fibrosis — Scarring of lung tissue.
- Filing Deadline — Legal statute of limitations.
- Firsthand Exposure — Direct asbestos contact.
- Fluid Drainage (Thoracentesis) — Removal of pleural effusion.
- Fraudulent Conveyance — Illegal transfer of assets to avoid asbestos liability.
G
- Gene Therapy — Experimental treatment modifying DNA.
- Gross Settlement — Total payout before deductions.
- Guardian ad Litem — Court-appointed representative for minors.
H
- Hazardous Materials (HazMat) — Dangerous substances including asbestos.
- HIPEC — Heated chemo during surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma.
- Histology — Study of tissue under microscope.
- Hostile Work Environment — Unsafe conditions including asbestos exposure.
I
- Immunotherapy — Boosting immune system to fight cancer.
- Incidence Rate — Number of new mesothelioma cases.
- Indemnity — Legal duty to compensate for harm.
- Interstitial Lung Disease — Group of lung disorders, including asbestosis.
- Inhalation Exposure — Breathing asbestos fibers into the lungs.
J
- Joint Compound — Asbestos-containing wall material.
- Joint Liability — Multiple defendants sharing legal responsibility.
- Jurisdiction — Court authority to hear a case.
L
- Latency Period — Delay (10–50 years) between asbestos exposure and illness.
- Law of Torts — Legal framework for civil harm cases like asbestos claims.
- Litigation — Legal action process.
- Lung Function Test (PFT) — Test measuring lung health.
- Lymph Nodes — Immune system tissue where cancer spreads.
M
- Malignant Mesothelioma — Asbestos-caused cancer.
- Mediastinum — Area between lungs; cancer can spread here.
- Mediation — Alternative legal dispute resolution.
- Motion (Legal) — Request filed with a court.
- Multimodal Therapy — Combined surgery, chemo, and radiation.
N
- Navy Exposure — Asbestos exposure risk in U.S. Navy service.
- Negligence — Failure to exercise proper care, basis for lawsuits.
- Neoadjuvant Therapy — Treatment before surgery.
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer — Distinct from mesothelioma but asbestos-linked.
O
- Occupational Exposure — Workplace asbestos exposure.
- Oncology — Medical field specializing in cancer.
- OSHA — U.S. agency regulating asbestos workplace safety.
- Out-of-Court Settlement — Case resolved without trial.
P
- Palliative Care — Care focused on comfort.
- Pathologist — Doctor who diagnoses by examining tissue.
- Pericardial Mesothelioma — Cancer of heart lining.
- Peritoneal Mesothelioma — Cancer of abdominal lining.
- Personal Injury Claim — Lawsuit for harm caused by asbestos.
- Pleura — Lining around lungs.
- Pleural Effusion — Fluid buildup around lungs.
- Pleural Mesothelioma — Mesothelioma of the chest lining.
- Plaques (Pleural Plaques) — Thickened lung lining from asbestos.
- Prognosis — Expected disease outcome.
- Punitive Damages — Award meant to punish negligence.
Q
- Quid Pro Quo — Exchange; in law, can arise in settlement contexts.
- Qualified Settlement Fund — Fund for distributing asbestos claims.
R
- Radiation Therapy — Cancer treatment using high-energy rays.
- Recurrence — Cancer returning after treatment.
- Resection — Surgical removal of diseased tissue.
- Retroperitoneal — Space behind abdominal cavity where cancer may spread.
- Risk Factor — Conditions that increase likelihood of mesothelioma.
S
- Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma — Aggressive cell type with poor prognosis.
- Secondhand Exposure — Asbestos fibers carried home on clothes.
- Settlements — Compensation awarded outside trial.
- Statute of Limitations — Legal filing deadline.
- Subpoena — Legal order requiring documents/testimony.
- Surgery — Medical treatment involving tumor removal.
T
- Thoracentesis — Draining fluid from lungs.
- Thoracoscopy — Minimally invasive lung inspection.
- Tort Law — Area of law covering asbestos lawsuits.
- Trust Funds (Asbestos Trusts) — Compensation for asbestos victims.
- Tumor Markers — Substances in blood that may indicate cancer.
V
Veterans Benefits — Military support for asbestos victims.
VA Claims — Veterans Affairs compensation system.
Verdict — Court decision after trial.
Related Resource Links
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This glossary is here to help patients and families make sense of the medical and legal terms that often come up with mesothelioma. For additional explanations and extended FAQs, you can also explore our partner resource at MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.org.
If you have immediate questions about your rights or options, visit our Compensation page or request a free case evaluation.