Symptoms in the early stages of mesothelioma

In its early stages, mesothelioma does not have many symptoms, whether it's in the chest (pleura) or the abdomen (peritoneum). When symptoms occur, they are often the result of the cancer grows and pressing on a nerve or other body organs. The symptoms below may be mentioned the diseases caused by other than mesothelioma. But if you Reviews these symptoms, see your doctor. This is especially important if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past.

A visit to the doctor

The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma

The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are

Chestpain

Dyspnea

Fatigue (tiredness)

Sweating and high temperatures

A persistent cough

Weight loss when not dieting

Loss of appetite

Difficulty swallowing

A hoarse or raspy voice

Some people have changes in the shape of the feedback their fingers and finger nails called clubbing.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma

The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are

Pain in the abdomen (tummy)

-swelling

Nausea or vomiting

Poor appetite

Weight loss when not dieting

Diarrhea or constipation

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The earlier cancer is recorded, the easier it is to treat it and is more likely to be successful treatment. It is important that you see your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any worrying symptoms.

Symptoms of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma presents very few early symptoms, which makes it more difficult to detect. Final stages of mesothelioma symptoms can sometimes mirror non life-threatening condition.

Recognize the Symptoms

Mesothelioma patients experience a variety of symptoms that vary according to the type and stage. The symptoms can be caused by irritation or accumulation of fluid in the lungs or abdomen caused by tumor growth. Symptoms can also be a factor in determining the prognosis of patients. Anyone seen displaying these symptoms should contact a doctor immediately, especially if they have been exposed to asbestos in the past.

Symptoms of mesothelioma By Type

Icon pleural mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma

The most common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are chest pain, pleural effusion (fluid retention), painful breathing and persistent cough.

Icon peritoneal mesothelioma

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

The most common symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal pain, ascites (accumulation of fluid), weight loss can not be explained and loss of appetite.

Pericardial Mesothelioma Icon

Pericardial Mesothelioma

The most common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma are chest pain, pericardial effusion (fluid retention) and a heart murmur.

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Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural Mesothelioma is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers, which are trapped in the lining of the lungs, known as the pleura. Microscopic fibers irritation and inflammation of the pleura. This inflammation causes a thickening of the pleural lining and accumulation of fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion). Fluid accumulation and thickening of the lining around the lungs prevents the lungs from expanding fully. This causes chest pain and breathing painful.

Mesothelioma Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms BodyPleural

Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma

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Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma (Phase 1 & 2)

The patients in the early stages of pleural mesothelioma does not show many symptoms. Those who do not show specific to this disease. Common symptoms in the early stages of the disease are as follows:

Shortness of breath (dyspnea)

Chest pain

Persistent cough

Pleural effusion (fluid retention)

Fever

Fatigue

Weight

Pain in the body

This is similar to the symptoms of a variety of other disorders, such as pneumonia, colds, asthma, influenza, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pleural fluid, and inflammation of the lining of the lung is a major source of discomfort associated with mesothelioma, but has also been associated with pneumonia and COPD.

Up to 25 percent of patients have symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain for about 6 months before seeing a doctor.

Pleural thickening is a result of pleural mesothelioma are common to other diseases. This is caused by scar tissue pleura. It causes a loss of elasticity in the lungs, which is important to expand the lungs for normal breathing.

Pleural thickening can also be caused by tuberculosis, pleurisy and empyema (infection of the lungs that causes accumulation of pus in the pleural). However, in mesothelioma, it is special because pleural scarring due to asbestos.

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Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma (Stages 3 & 4)

The final stages of pleural mesothelioma have more specific symptoms, and symptoms of the early stages. In phase 3 and 4 symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain and cough, but these symptoms may be more severe.

Specifically for pleural mesothelioma symptoms begin to appear in this phase. It is to be diagnosed in most patients. These symptoms may include:

Fever and / or night sweats

Shortness of breath (dyspnea)

Breathing hurts

Fatigue

Anemia

Persistent pain in the chest or rib area

Persistent cough

Coughing up blood (hemoptysis)

Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)

Pleural effusion

During this phase, the treatment can be used to relieve pain and discomfort from a variety of symptoms. This allows the physician to drain pleural to reduce chest pain and breathing easier.

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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms

Peritoneal mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma shares some symptoms, such as fatigue and weight loss that can not be explained. However, significantly less than the cases of pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma not have accepted the classification stage, so the symptoms vary from patient time

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen.

Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause and risk factor for mesothelioma.

Making a correct mesothelioma diagnosis is particularly difficult for doctors because the disease often presents with symptoms that mimic other common ailments. There is currently no known cure for mesothelioma, but treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy can help to improve the typical mesothelioma prognosis and even increase one's life expectancy.

Three major types of mesothelioma exist and they are differentiated by the organs primarily affected. Pleural mesothelioma (affecting the lung’s protective lining in the chest cavity) represents about three-quarters of all mesothelioma incidence. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdominal cavity, and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the cardiac cavity, comprise the remainder.

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There are three recognized mesothelioma cell types. Between 50% and 70% of all mesotheliomas are of the epithelial variety. While prognosis is generally poor, it is considered less aggressive than sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma, which comprise the remainder of cell-type diagnoses.

The cavities within the body encompassing the chest, abdomen, and heart are surrounded by a membrane of cells known as the mesothelium. Mesothelial cells assist in general organ functions. The mesothelium is particularly important to organs that are commonly in motion, such as expansion or contraction of the lungs, stomach, or heart. Lubrication from the mesothelial cells allows free range of motion within the body. The mesothelium of the chest, abdomen, and cardiac cavity are called the pleura, the peritoneum, and the pericardium, respectively. Each of these groupings of mesothelial cells is extremely critical to the functions of the body structures which they encompass.

Malignancies (cancerous tumors) occurring within the mesothelial membranes are known as malignant mesothelioma, or simply mesothelioma. Benign tumors of the mesothelium are known to occur, but are much more rare than malignant mesothelial tumors.

While tumors of the mesothelium were first recognized in the late 18th century, it was not until the middle of the 20th century that this particular cancer was studied and examined with more detail. It was at this time when suspicions of the cancer’s causal relationship with asbestos exposure became more substantiated. A joint research venture through the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of the Witswater and Johannesburg General Hospital in South Africa provided the most compelling evidence of the nexus between asbestos exposure and the development of pleural mesothelioma.

Incidence of mesothelioma is still quite rare, with only 2,500-3,000 diagnoses in the United States each year. There was a spike in reported diagnoses between 1970 and 1984, which has been attributed to the latency period between diagnosis and the height of industrial exposures, which occurred roughly 40-60 years prior to this time. While exposure was common across the United States in nearly all industries, it was particularly prevalent in the WWII-era military industrial cycle, including navy shipyards.

Although this cancer is much more common in men over the age of 60, mesothelioma in women and children has been documented as well. Mesothelioma causes for diagnosis in women and children are mainly attributed to secondary exposure to asbestos, as it was not uncommon for men to bring asbestos back into the home on their bodies or clothing.


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Mesothelioma is diagnosed through a comprehensive combination of biopsy and imaging scans.

Mesothelioma can be a difficult malignancy to diagnose because the symptoms of the disease closely resemble other respiratory conditions, and because the pathology can be very difficult to distinguish from adenocarcinoma of the lung. For these reasons, misdiagnosis is not uncommon in mesothelioma patients. Symptoms of mesothelioma include chest pain, chronic cough, effusions of the chest and abdomen, and the presence of blood in lung fluid.

Diagnostic surgeries, including a biopsy, will typically be required to determine the type of malignant cells that are present in the body. Typically a body imaging scan, including a magnetic resonance image (MRI), computer topography (CT scan), and/or positron emission tomography (PET), will be required to determine the extent and location of the disease. Given how rare mesothelioma is, a formal staging classification exists only for pleural mesothelioma.

While mesothelioma is typically advanced at diagnosis, treatment options are available.

Mesothelioma, while certainly an aggressive disease, is a manageable malignancy. While there is no cure for the cancer, mesothelioma treatment options may potentially include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. A combination of Alimta® and cisplatin is currently the only FDA-approved chemotherapy regimen, though several clinical trials are currently in progress utilizing other drugs including gemcitabine and Onconase®, that may lead to new treatment options that provide a benefit for patients.

Radiation therapy is also utilized, but typically in conjunction with other treatment methods like surgery and chemotherapy. Surgical resection of mesothelioma is possible in early-stage-diagnosed patients. Diagnostic and palliative procedures such as thoracentesis and pleurodesis are also commonly performed in patients with malignant mesothelioma in order to minimize cancer-related symptoms. Alternative therapies have also been used effectively by many mesothelioma patients to assist in managing symptoms of the disease and conventional treatments.