What are the Symptoms of Mesothelioma?

Mesothilioma is a cancer which affects the membranes surrounding either the chest cavity, the lungs, the abdominal cavity, or the organs within the abdomen.  While it is a somewhat uncommon form of cancer, its symptoms are fairly generic which makes it difficult to diagnose in its early stages.

Mesothilioma is commonly caused by excessive exposure to asbestos, and specifically asbestos dust.  Even among people who have had prolonged exposure to asbestos, only roughly 5% develop mesothelioma. 

The chances of this cancer developing increases very dramatically if the individual is a smoker.  However, asbestos symptoms typically do not manifest themselves for 20 to 30 years after the exposure to asbestos.  The relatively small chance of this disease developing coupled with a long delay in the outset of the symptoms and and the fact that the symptoms are often inconclusive causes this disease to go unnoticed until it has already progressed to the later stages.

The two most common types of Mesothilioma occur either in the chest cavity (pleural mesothelioma) or in the abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesothelioma), and each type has its own set of symptoms.  While the symptoms on their own might tend to be easily dismissed, it's important to discuss with your doctor anything that's out of ordinary, no matter how minor it may seem. 

Below are the common symptoms of each type of mesothelioma.

Pleural Mesothilioma is the most common form of this cancer.  This form of Mesothilioma usually causes either a fluid buildup between the membrane and the lungs or between the membrane in the chest cavity, or a tumor on the membrane in either location. 

While all symptoms might not be evident in every case, if you are experiencing these symptoms, talk with your doctor about them. 

Pleural Mesothilioma can cause painful breathing, shortness of breath, pain beneath the rib cage, a dry cough, unexplained weight loss, or unusual lumps under the skin on your chest.

Peritoneal Mesothilioma is less common, and again its symptoms are inconclusive on their own.  Peritoneal Mesothilioma usually causes either fluid buildup between the membrane and the nearby structures, or a cancerous growth on the membrane itself. 

The abdominal form of Mesothilioma can cause abdominal pain or swelling, more frequent constipation or diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, or lumps of tissue in the abdomen.

In later stages, once the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, the symptoms of advanced Mesothilioma could include direct pain in the area where the cancer has spread swelling in the neck or face, and difficulty in swallowing.

Like with most other cancers, early detection is an important key in effective treatment of mesothelioma. 

Unfortunately, due to the ambiguous nature of the symptoms as well as the relative rarity of this disease, typically by the time the symptoms are serious enough to discuss with your doctor, the cancer has already passed into its later stages. 

If this is the case, normally the treatment options that a doctor would recommend will ease the symptoms and make the patient more comfortable.

Check out the mesothilioma statistics to see how far widespread this cancer affects people in the US.