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Glossary of medical and legal terms

Short, plain definitions of terms that come up on this site and in conversations with doctors and lawyers. Definitions are simplified; ask your care team or lawyer what a term means in your case.

Medical terms

Ascites
Fluid that builds up in the abdomen. It can be a sign of peritoneal mesothelioma, but has many other causes.
Asbestos
Six natural minerals made of thin, strong fibers that resist heat and chemicals. Breathing or swallowing the fibers can cause disease years later.
Asbestosis
Scarring of the lung tissue caused by asbestos. It is not cancer, but it can make breathing hard and get worse over time.
BAP1
A gene. Some families carry an inherited change in BAP1 that raises the risk of mesothelioma and some other cancers.
Biopsy
Removing a small piece of tissue so a pathologist can look at it under a microscope. Usually needed to confirm mesothelioma.
Biphasic
A mesothelioma with both epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells. Also called mixed.
Chemotherapy
Drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing.
Clinical trial
A research study that tests a new treatment or a new way of using an existing one.
CT scan
A series of x-rays combined by a computer into detailed cross-section pictures.
Cytoreductive surgery
Surgery to remove all the visible tumor in the abdomen, often followed by HIPEC.
Epithelioid
The most common cell type of mesothelioma, about 6 in 10 cases. It tends to have a better outlook.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP)
Surgery that removes a whole lung, part of the chest lining, the diaphragm, and the lining around the heart.
HIPEC
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: heated chemotherapy pumped through the abdomen after surgery.
Immunotherapy
Treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab.
Latency
The time between exposure and illness. For mesothelioma, usually 20 to 50 years.
Mesothelium
The thin lining that covers the lungs, abdomen, heart, and testicles.
Palliative care
Care focused on relieving symptoms and improving quality of life. It can be given at any stage, with other treatment.
Paracentesis
Draining fluid from the abdomen with a needle.
Pathologist
A doctor who diagnoses disease by examining tissue and cells.
Pericardiocentesis
Draining fluid from the sac around the heart with a needle.
Pericardium
The sac around the heart.
Peritoneum
The lining of the abdomen.
PET scan
A scan using a small amount of radioactive sugar to show areas of active cancer.
Pleura
The lining around the lungs and inside the chest wall.
Pleural effusion
Fluid between the layers of the pleura, around the lung.
Pleural plaques
Patches of thickened tissue on the pleura caused by asbestos. They are not cancer.
Pleurectomy and decortication (P/D)
Surgery that removes the pleura and the tumor on the lung's surface, leaving the lung in place.
Pleurodesis
A procedure that seals the space around the lung so fluid cannot build up again.
Prognosis
The likely course of a disease.
Resectable
Able to be removed with surgery.
Sarcomatoid
A less common cell type of mesothelioma, about 1 in 10 cases, that tends to be harder to treat.
Stage
How far a cancer has spread. Pleural mesothelioma uses stages I to IV.
Thoracentesis
Draining fluid from around the lung with a needle.
Thoracoscopy (VATS)
Using a small camera through a cut in the chest to look at the pleura and take biopsies.
Tunica vaginalis
The covering around the testicles.
Attorney-client relationship
The formal relationship, usually created by a signed agreement, in which a lawyer agrees to represent you. Sending a website form does not create one.
Channeling injunction
A bankruptcy court order that sends all asbestos claims against a reorganized company to its asbestos trust.
Contingency fee
A fee that is a percentage of any recovery, with no fee owed if there is no recovery.
Defendant
The person or company being sued.
Deposition
Recorded testimony given under oath before trial.
DIC
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, a VA benefit for some surviving spouses, children, and parents.
Discovery rule
A rule that starts a filing deadline when an injury is discovered, or should have been, rather than when the exposure happened.
Effective date
For VA claims, the date benefits can start.
Estate
Everything a person owned at death, managed by an executor or administrator.
Executor or administrator
The person appointed to manage an estate. Also called a personal representative.
Intent to file
A VA notice that can hold an earlier effective date while you prepare a claim.
Plaintiff
The person bringing a lawsuit.
Section 524(g)
The part of the federal bankruptcy code that lets a company move its asbestos liabilities into a trust.
Settlement
An agreement that resolves a claim without a trial.
Statute of limitations
The legal deadline for filing a lawsuit.
Survival action
A claim that continues, after a death, the claim the person had while living.
Trust distribution procedures (TDP)
The rules an asbestos trust uses to review and value claims.
VSO
Veterans Service Organization. Accredited VSO representatives help with VA claims for free.
Wrongful death
A claim by family members for their losses when a death was caused by another's wrongful act or neglect.

Related pages

  • What is mesothelioma?: Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the thin lining around the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles. How it starts, its link to asbestos, and what comes next.
  • Filing a claim: The main ways people with mesothelioma seek compensation: lawsuits, trust fund claims, VA benefits, and workers' compensation, and how they fit together.
  • FAQ: Answers to common questions about mesothelioma, asbestos exposure, treatment, VA benefits, trust funds, legal deadlines, and how this site works.