Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Combine the characteristics of mesothelioma with its long latency period and its symptoms of being non-specific, there is a great risk of delay in diagnosis. Person exposed to asbestos will only start experiencing the symptoms after 30 to 50 years. On top of that, the symptoms are very similar to that of viral pneumonia and other less serious illnesses resulting to a misdiagnosis. Symptoms appear about 2 to 3 months before the cancer is found. Some patients do not show any symptoms at all. Often, the patient finds out about the seriousness of his illness too late. Here following are common symptoms of mesothelioma, which can be mistaken as an indication of the person suffering from a less serious illness:


Blood in the sputum
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A cough or change in cough pattern
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Difficulty in swallowing
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Hoarseness
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Shortness of breath
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Pain in the chest or abdomen
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Weight loss
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Immune deficiency related illnesses such as colds

More symptoms are also noted, and they become confusing for they vary depending on the organ the cancer has affected. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma since asbestos particles when airborne is inhaled by the person. It account for 75% of all mesothelioma cases. This kind of mesothelioma affects the chest cavity and sometimes including the lungs. There is build-up of fluid or pleural effusion when one has pleural mesothelioma. Pleural effusion is the most common symptom of this type and it is characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the chest wall and lungs. In normal conditions the amount of fluid is enough to act as lubricant between the chest wall and the lung. The excess fluid is absorbed by blood and lymph vessels to maintain the balance. When too much of this fluid is formed it causes effusion. Pleural effusion is either confined to the right (60%) or left (40%) lung. Effusion is accompanied by other symptoms like trouble in breathing, cough, weight loss and fever. More symptoms are indicated below:

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Chest pain and pain in the lower back
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Muscle weakness and sensory loss
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Swelling of the face and arms
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Hoarseness
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Coughing up of blood

At the onset of the illness the shortness of breath may be experienced only when the patient exercises but as lung function drops breathlessness can be experienced even he or she is resting. Metastases occurs when the cancer spreads from the lungs to the chest wall and ribs. This can be extremely painful. Survival time of pleural mesothelioma cancer patients is approximately 17 months. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdominal cavity and organs including the liver, spleen and bowels. This type of mesothelioma accounts for about 10% of all cases. Most patients complain of pain making it the most common symptom of this kind of mesothelioma. Furthermore, the abdomen would seem enlarged due to the accumulation of fluid in that area. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma:

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Nausea and vomiting
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Swelling of the feet
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Fever
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Impaired bowel function
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Breathing problems
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Chest pain
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Loss of appetite
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Anemia
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Sometimes blood clotting abnormalities

The tumor can cause increasing pressure on the organs in the abdomen, leading to bowel obstruction and distention. It is presses upward it can impair one’s breathing capacity. As nerve fibers are affected and bowel distends, the amount of pain can increase. Survival time of this form of cancer is less that that of pleural mesothelioma averaging at 10 months from the onset of symptoms. Mesothelioma Cancer affecting the thin lining of tissue that surrounds the heart or the pericardium is known as pericardial mesothelioma. This is the rarest form of cancer among the three. Symptoms include chest pain, cough, dyspnea and palpitations.

If you suspect that you or your loved one could be suffering from this rare form of cancer, immediately seek your physician’s attention and apprise him of any exposure to asbestos you or your loved one have had. The patient should also disclose his or her medical history and more importantly his work history for it could hasten the physician’s diagnosis once he is informed regarding possible exposure to asbestos. It is important also to indicate duration of exposure. Those living near areas or factories that handle asbestos could also be at risk. Even family members of workers handling asbestos are at risk as well. It is essential that the patient gets a complete physical examination like a chest x-ray, lung function tests and blood tests. Tests in the urine, feces, mucus and material rinsed out of the lungs can also aid in the correct diagnosis of mesothelioma for it could pinpoint any abnormalities in the body organs.

Diagnosing mesothelioma can be obtained through imaging techniques and tissue sampling. Imagine techniques include x-rays, computed tomography or CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging or MRI and positron emission tomography or PET.

Once mesothelioma is suspected through imaging tests, confirming is done through pathological examinations. This is characterized by the removal of tissue and placed under the microscope allowing a pathologist to make a definitive diagnosis. Further examinations can be done to make a complete verification of the illness. A thorascope is used in thorascopy tests for pleural mesothelioma patients where the physician cuts through the chest wall and inserts the instrument between the two ribs. A thoracentesis is done by collecting excess fluid from the affected organ. Perioneoscopy is done on peritoneal mesothelioma patients. A peritonescope is put into an opening made in the abdomen. Paracentesis is done by collecting excess fluid from the abdomen.

When there is abnormal tissue in the organ, the physician will obtain a biopsy by cutting out a small piece of the tissue and examine it under a microscope. This is the final determining factor that could lead to a correct diagnosis of mesothelioma. A pathologist is tasked to determine whether the cancer is benign or malignant based on the sample tissue obtained from the patient. Although pathologists have a general expertise of various diseases, only a small number have acquired training in the study of mesothelioma.