Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma whose bodies respond to the cancer with systemic inflammation have lower survival rates, according to Chinese researchers in a recent clinical study. Those researchers linked systemic inflammation known as SII to a lower rate of survival in patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in the lungs. (survivingmesothelioma.com)
The new clinical study featured 97 people who were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. The study suggests that SII could be a non-invasive way to determine what a person’s long term prognosis is with mesothelioma.
SII Definition
SII is ‘systemic immune inflammation index’. When your body is experiencing stress, including when it is fighting cancer, the immune system engages in the fight. Some types of proteins and white blood cells are released. The end result of this process is systemic inflammation.
SII levels can be found with a blood test. The blood test measures your level of white blood cells known as lymphocytes and neutrophils. The blood test also provides a measure of blood platelets. High levels of SSI have been related to a poor prognosis for many sorts of cancer.
Mesothelioma Patient With Systemic Inflammation
Pleural mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos in industrial and manufacturing settings. Many patients do not known they have the disease until decades after asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma has no cure. While most people diagnosed with this cancer do not live more than a year, some can live for many years. But at this time, doctors do not have an easy way to figure out which patients are most likely to survive a mesothelioma diagnosis. The study in China suggests that doing measurements of systemic inflammation with an SII test might help.
SSI Measurements Are Related to Survival Rates with Mesothelioma
The researchers in China looked at the medical records of 97 patients with the disease. The study compared the patients’ survival rate with their level of systemic inflammation before they received treatment.
There were 44 patients who had high SII and 53 had a low reading. The median mesothelioma survival for all of the study participants was 18.5 months. But there was a large difference between patients with higher levels of systemic inflammation and those with lower levels.
Mesothelioma patients with a lower level of SII had a median survival rate of 48 months. The median rate of survival for patients with higher levels of SII was 12 months.
The study noted that 85% of mesothelioma patients in the lower SII category were still living a year later and 50% lived for at least 36 months. Only 14% of patients with mesothelioma with higher systemic inflammation were still living after 36 months.
The mesothelioma patients who lived the longest in the clinical study had good health overall and a lower SII. They also were recipients of adjuvant treatments. This is treatment that is provided after the major mesothelioma therapy is given so that the cancer ideally will not return.
The Chinese researchers concluded it is efficient and easy to test patients with mesothelioma for any signs of systemic inflammation. The lead study author Ming Ma stated in the report that high SII indicates an unfavorable prognostic factor for mesothelioma diagnoses. This will need to be validated in additional clinical studies.
Who Can File a Lawsuit for Wrongful Death?
If you lose a loved one to mesothelioma and it can be determined that a company or companies were responsible for the person’s asbestos exposure, you may be able to file a successful wrongful death lawsuit. Your family could be entitled to substantial wrongful death benefits, including funeral costs, loss of companionship and pain and suffering the deceased endured.
A wrongful death action is normally filed by the close family of the individual who died from the disease. In some states, other people can file the lawsuit, not just the direct members of the family. Your mesothelioma attorney can help you to find out if you are able to file the lawsuit on your own or if someone closer to the deceased needs to file it.
The most common filers of these lawsuits are members of the immediate family, including life partners, spouses and children. Also, a person who suffers severe financial loss from the death of the person may be able to file.
Mesothelioma Wrongful Death Claim Process
For a wrongful death lawsuit claim to be successful, the procedures will vary somewhat per state. But the general process for filing a mesothelioma lawsuit after death includes:
- Legal research: Your mesothelioma lawyer will engage in research about the companies that may have exposed the deceased to asbestos. He also will interview company employees and the heads of the companies in question to determine where asbestos exposure might have happened. Determining when, where and how asbestos exposure may have occurred will decide if the case is successful or not.
- Filing: The wrongful death lawsuit can be filed in the state where the exposure to asbestos happened. An alternative is to file the case where the HQ for that company is located.
- Discovery: Your mesothelioma attorney will review the medical and work history of the person who passed away from mesothelioma. This is done to build the strongest case possible. The idea is to find strong proof that the company’s alleged negligence led to the deceased’s exposure to asbestos.
- Trial or settle: In many wrongful death actions, the company defendant may decide to settle early on. But if a settlement is impossible, there may be a trial. A trial involving millions of dollars in some cases could take months or years. Thus, many families decide to settle for what they can get through negotiating with the company and its attorneys.
If you have any questions about how to file a wrongful death lawsuit for mesothelioma or any other reason, please speak with an experienced mesothelioma attorney today.
References
- Systemic Inflammation Mesothelioma Prognosis. (2019). Retrieved from https://survivingmesothelioma.com/systemic-inflammation-mesothelioma-prognosis/
