Mesothelioma Symptoms

The Symptoms Of Mesothelioma
The difficulty of making a diagnosis of Mesothelioma is that the early symptoms are generally non-specific (they could apply to many different causes) and they can lead to a delay in its diagnosis. The disease can cause coughing (with or without blood - blood clots), chronic pain, tumors, shortness of breath, wheezing, , weight loss, and other symptoms. Most of the patients with Mesothelioma only show symptoms for two or three months before the disease is diagnosed. Only about one quarter of those with malignant Mesothelioma have symptoms for six months before the diagnosis of the cancer.
A Mesothelioma diagnosis usually is the results of a person having experienced the signs and symptoms for some time before being concerned enough to have them checked out. Early symptoms sometimes may resemble viral pneumonia.
Very few cases of Mesothelioma affect the pericardium (the outer layer of the heart). A greater number of cases affect the Pleura (the chest cavity). And the number of cases affecting the peritoneum (the abdominal cavity) are somewhere in the middle.
As far as the progression of malignant Mesothelioma goes, those that start in the abdomen usually continue on into the intestines and diaphragm. Tumors that start in the chest cavity usually continue through the thorax and can affect one or both lungs. (For unknown reasons, this seems to involve the right lung more often than the left lung).

Pleural Mesothelioma (a form of Mesothelioma that affects the lining of the lungs, or lung pleura) may have symptoms such as shortness of breath; chest pain and/or persistent cough. Yet some patients show no symptoms at all. For this form of Mesothelioma a chest x-ray may show a build-up of fluid or pleural effusion. Pleural effusion is defined as an accumulation of fluid between the parietal pleura (the pleura covering the chest wall and diaphragm) and the visceral pleura (the pleura covering the lungs). Both of these membranes, under normal conditions, produce a small amount of fluid that acts as a lubricant between the chest wall and the lung. When too much fluid forms, the result is an effusion. Pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura, and shortness of breath are often symptoms of pleural Mesothelioma.
Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Beginning with a review of the patient's medical history and a complete physical examination, x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests may be called for. A CAT scan or an MRI may also be useful.
Once symptoms are present, treatment may depend on the location of the primary cancer. Symptoms may in general, become more pronounced as the disease advances. In pleural Mesothelioma, common symptoms may be reported as difficulty breathing, pain in the chest or under the ribcage, cough or coughing up blood, and hoarseness. Also in evidence is a collection of fluid or pleural effusion in the pleural cavity. Sometimes the face and arms may swell up. However many of these same symptoms and signs are also signs of lung cancer.
If pleural effusion is seen, it may be broken down into two categories, transudates and exudates. A transudate is a clear fluid that forms because of an imbalance between the normal production and removal of the fluid. However, the most common cause of transudative fluid is not pleural Mesothelioma, but rather more a sign of congestive heart failure.
An Exudates Pleural Effusion, on the other hand, is often cloudy and contains many cells and proteins, which is a result of the disease or a breakdown of the pleura itself. This type of effusion is common to Mesothelioma. To determine whether a fluid is a transudate or exudate, a diagnostic thoracentesis is done. In a thoracentesis a needle or catheter is used to obtain a fluid sample which is then tested for histological changes.
Since the less common symptoms of pleural Mesothelioma include a dry cough, when the doctor hears it, he will listen to the patient's chest with a stethoscope. If the normal breath sounds are muted, and tapping on the chest reveals a dull sound rather than hollow sounds, the doctor will want to order additional tests.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity and is less common than Pleural Mesothelioma. The latency period for peritoneal Mesothelioma appears to be shorter for those individual exposed to asbestos. The symptoms begin appearing 20-30 years after exposure rather than the 30-40 year latency period associated with Pleural Mesothelioma.
Symptoms may include abdominal pain; a mass in the abdomen; increased abdominal girth, and distention of the abdomen; fluid buildup in the abdomen. There might also be fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia and digestive disturbances such as constipation due to bowel obstruction, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Patients may sometimes complain of more non-specific symptoms for a number of months before there is a confirmed diagnosis. Sometimes Peritoneal Mesothelioma is found when the patient seeks help for another health problem such as gallbladder, hernia or pelvic mass.
Pericardial Mesothelioma
Patients with pericardial Mesothelioma may have chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations. Many symptoms of malignant Mesothelioma (wheather pericardial or one of the other types) are common to many other forms of cancer. Symptoms like unexplained weight loss, fever and fatigue.
The Problem With The Symptoms Of Mesothelioma
The problem with Mesothelioma is that it can go undiagnosed or under diagnosed because of the vagueness of the symptoms, especially in its early stages. Under-diagnosis is common for conditions that have either no symptoms or only vague or mild symptoms. As a result, proper diagnosis and treatment can be delayed.
The symptoms (especially early onset) can be mild and can be associated (in the patient's mind) with prior or other existing conditions. For example a patient who has a history of gall bladder problems may ignore mild abdominal pain thinking that it is another flair-up of the preexisting gall bladder problem. A dry cough might be attributed to the patient's attempt to quit smoking. Shortness of breath may be attributed to "being out of shape".
And when a patient goes to see a doctor the patient's description of symptoms is often time vague and does not alert the doctor to the possibility that a more serious problem might exist. Because Mesothelioma's cause is related to asbestos, if the patient failed to know or mention that exposure, the doctor might not make the association until the disease has progressed to the point where the doctor starts running a series of tests to start eliminating possibilities.
Finally, doctors who are only generally trained (GPs or "family doctors") may not have the experience to view the symptoms as a possibility for Mesothelioma. And then when the symptoms advance to the point that the family doctor refers the patient to a cancer specialist, the progress of the disease may have advanced to the point where some treatment options are already past.
The key to recognizing that the patient's symptoms are or might be Mesothelioma, is to determine if the patient has been exposed to asbestos and then be sure to communicate that to the doctor and other medical personnel.