Symptoms
of Mesothelioma Lung Cancer - Pleural Effusions, Other Common Symptoms
& Previous Asbestos Exposure
(September 20th, 2008)
 Symptoms
of mesothelioma usually do not surface for upto 20 - 50 years after
initial exposure, after which they do. This therefore makes an accurate
mesothelioma diagnosis almost impossible for medical doctors. After
symptoms start to surface, almost nothing can be done to stop the
progression of this disease because of the long latency period,
and advancement of malignant tumors into the lungs. Symptoms of
mesothelioma vary with where the malignant tumors are located and
the type of mesothelioma, examples include peritoneal, pericardial
& pleural mesothelioma. Overall health of the patient as well
as the age also plays an important role in what kinds of symptoms
appear. The biggest drawback for accurately diagnosing mesothelioma
is that its symptoms closely resemble symptoms of other common diseases
such as pneumonia, flu, heart diseases, bronchitis, etc.
The best way to assist your doctor in accurately diagnosing mesothelioma
is to inform him of past asbestos exposure. If you have worked in
trades such as metal works, construction, shipyards, railways, automotive
and plastic producing factories, you may have been exposed to Asbestos.
The doctor will investigate your health history, and be able to
disect past asbestos exposure with any current symptoms you may
be experiencing. For example, excessive coughing or shortness of
breath may lead the doctor to investigate if you are suffering from
pleural mesothelioma. The image above shows an example of pleural
effusions where excess fluids build up in the pleural space (shown
in pink) and cause an expansion in the size of the lungs. Below
is a list of common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma:
 Symptoms of
Pleural Mesothelioma
- Difficulty swallowing food
- Excessive coughing
- Fluids in the chest or lungs (Pleural Effusions)
- Lack of sleep
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the chest/abdomen/lungs (Insufficient blood flow stops
going to the heart thanks to fluids building up in the pleural space,
causing the lungs to enlarge/contract abnormally and thus inhibiting
the flow of blood to other organs of the body).
- Shortness of breath
- Sore voice
Symptoms such as difficulty breathing or excessive coughing are
caused in part by the lung's inability to expand properly due to
tumors in the pleura. Growth of tumors in the pleura, peritoneum
or pericardium cause the lungs to expand, forcing liquids to enter.
This results in acute to severe pain in the chest or abdomen making
it difficult to breathe and hard to sleep at night. Since the type
of symptoms range from the type of cancer the patient has, here
are the symptoms of Pericardial mesothelioma:
Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma
- Extreme fatigue
- Excessive coughing
- Heart palpitations
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma
- Anemia
- Bowel obstruction
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Pain in the abdomen
- Vomiting
- Swelling of the abdomen due to fluids accumulation
If some of these symptoms are recognized as indicating tumor in
the lungs, the patient will be asked to undergo an initial x-ray
in order to get a closer look at the chest or abdomen. If the lungs
appear to have fluids or appear damaged, this warrants further inspection
and will be conducted via a Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. A tissue biopsy is the last stage
in confirming or accurately diagnosing mesothelioma.
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