Symptoms Of Mesothelioma

Symptoms Of Mesothelioma

Symptoms of mesothlioma include shortness of breath due to something called pleural effusion, that is, the fluid between the lung and the chest wall, or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss.

The diagnosis may be detected with chest X-ray and CT scan, but must be confirmed with a biopsy (retrieval and testing of a tissue sample) and microscopic examination. Inserting a tube with a camera into the chest(called a thoracoscopy) is usually used to take biopsies.

Unfortunately, despite treatments available with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or sometimes even surgery, this disease carries a poor prognosis. Research comes to be done to find effective screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they have inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. For instance, washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years after exposure to asbestos. These systems include shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to the build up of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can include bowel obstruction, blood clotting, anemia, and fever.

If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms can include pain, difficulty swallowing, and/or swelling in the neck or face.

Mesothelioma affecting the pleura can cause these symptoms:

• pain in the chest wall
• fluid build up around the lung
• shortness of breath
• fatigue or anemia
• wheezing, hoarseness, or a cough
• blood in coughed up fluid (hemoptysis)

In severe cases of Mesothelioma, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a collapsed lung. The disease may spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. These symptoms can include abdominal pain from a buildup of fluid in the abdomen, a mass in the abdomen, and bowel problems.

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