Kinds of Mesothelioma Symptoms
There is a latent period between when a person comes in contact with asbestos and the onset of mesothelioma cancer. After a latency period of 15 to 40 or more years after initial exposure to asbestos, a patient will typically demonstrates symptoms mesothelioma. So mesothelioma can take decades to develop with the symptoms not arising until after the cancer has set in. Because mesothelioma has symptoms that resemble many less serious illnesses a lot of patients go unaware to how sever the disease is in their body.
Since the primary cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, people who have a known history of this exposure are best encouraged to seek immediate medical advice. Be sure your doctor knows of your previous asbestos exposure. This will alert the doctor to the possible symptoms related to the asbestos disease. With early diagnosis a mesothelioma patient’s potential life expectancy can be significantly improved.
Mesothelioma – Detecting Early Symptoms
Mesothelioma disease is usually diagnosed in a late stage of development because the symptoms rarely show themselves in the disease’s early stage. To help people who were exposed to asbestos but have not yet exhibited symptoms, it is recommended to get regular chest X-rays or pulmonary function tests. Do this in the interest of early detection of mesothelioma and to monitor for signs of reaction to asbestos inhalation.
Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma
The most common form of this disease is Pleural mesothelioma. This approximately includes 66 percent of all recorded mesothelioma cases.
The recognized symptoms for Pleural mesothelioma are:
- Persistent dry or raspy cough (typically non-productive, meaning there is little or no phlegm)
- Coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
- Difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia)
- Fever or frequent night sweats
- Weight loss of 10 percent or more in conjunction with these other symptoms
- Fatigue
- Painful breathing and / or persistent pain in the chest or rib area
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea) including at times of rest
- The occurrence of lumps under the skin on the chest
The Pleural mesothelioma symptoms will occur resulting from thickening of the Pleural membrane. Rapid production of cancerous cells will cause this, which then leads to the collection of fluid between the membrane layers. As the tissues thicken and fluid collects, there becomes added pressure on the lungs recognizable in reduced respiratory function.
Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma
There are approximately 25 to 30 percent of diagnosed mesothelioma cases to be Peritoneal mesothelioma. The recognized symptoms for Peritoneal mesothelioma are:
- Fever or frequent night sweats (same as Pleural mesothelioma)
- Weight loss of 10 percent or more in conjunction with other symptoms
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Swelling or pain in the abdomen
- Any change in bowel habits or regularity such as diarrhea or constipation
- Nausea or vomiting
- The occurrence of lumps under the skin on the abdomen
The Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms will occur resulting from the thickening of the Peritoneal membrane. The growth of cancer cells and the thickening of the membrane produce a collection of fluid between the membrane layers. As the membrane composition changes with the cancer, it places pressure on the organs in the abdominal region causing the patient to exhibit the Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms. It is common to see these patients with digestive disturbances when the bowel lining is affected by the disease. There might become a bowel obstruction when the Peritoneal mesothelioma is widespread in the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma
There is less than five percent of diagnosed mesothelioma cases to be Pericardial mesothelioma. Like Pleural and Peritoneal cancer, recognized symptoms for Pericardial mesothelioma include thickening of the Pericardial membrane and again, fluid collection. Additional symptoms for Pericardial mesothelioma are:
- Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing, even when resting (dyspnea)
- Fever or frequent night sweats (same as Pleural and Peritoneal cancer)
- Fatigue
The recognized symptoms for Pericardial mesothelioma is not as well established as with Pleural and Peritoneal cancer because this form of mesothelioma is so rare. It is a particularly difficult type of mesothelioma to diagnose which correlates to a poor prognosis among Pericardial mesothelioma patients. When a patient has the rare mesothelioma of the pericardium, the symptoms will come from the heart, and the patient may feel something like a heart attack or heart failure.
Symptoms of Testicular Mesothelioma
With less than 100 cases recorded within 60 years, Testicular mesothelioma is definitely the rarest form of mesothelioma. Also called Tunica Vaginalis Testes, much is unknown about the symptoms of Testicular mesothelioma because so few cases are recorded. One known symptom of Testicular mesothelioma is the appearance of Testicular lumps that may or may not be painful. A patient with this disease might find a painless lump in the groin which frequently is diagnosed as a hernia.
Sources:
- http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/malignantmesothelioma/patient
- Dodson, R. and Hammar, S. Asbestos: Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, and Health Effects. Taylor & Francis: Boca Raton. 2006.
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mesothelioma/DS00779/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
