Leonard Lesser played the character Uncle Leo during the second season of Seinfeld and was loved by fans of the show. In his early career he appeared in movies like ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ and’ Kelly’s Heroes’. He died in his sleep Wednesday of pneumonia associated with cancer, he was 88.
Millions of people around the world die of cancer. At some point in our lives we may be struck down by cancer or know someone who has. Lung cancer is prevalent as we continuously expose lungs to harmful chemicals, cigarette smoke and pollution. Incident of lung cancer increase annually and it is usually fatal.
One type of lung cancer that has a high mortality rate is mesothelioma. This cancer affects the lining of many internal organs called the mesothelium. The prognosis for individuals who contract mesothelioma isn’t good and treatment only delays the inevitable. Although it is a rare form of cancer contracted mostly by men, more and more cases are reported every year. Contraction of mesothelioma is directly related to exposure to asbestos which was widely used as a building material throughout the twentieth century. Once the toxicity of asbestos was discovered use of the harmful substance was banned but is still present in many buildings and homes. People who work in construction, renovation, in shipyards or mines where the asbestos is extracted are the highest risk of developing this fatal type of lung cancer. Mesothelioma occurs very rarely in people who weren’t exposed to asbestos.
