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| mesothelioma cancer symptoms |
Mesothelioma Symptoms- Symptoms Of Mesothelioma Cancer
What Are the Symptoms Of Mesothelioma Mesothelioma Symptoms and Causes
Unfortunately, asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer symptoms, reflect a lot of other types of lung-related diseases.
Symptoms of mesothelioma cancer can be different based on the type of cancer and can be unclear and mild even as the disease progresses into a later stage. Early signs can be so slight that they are mistaken as normal aches and pains or symptoms of other illnesses, creation asbestos-related cancer hard to detect.
Mesothelioma symptoms is a difficult cancer to diagnose. While the
main risk factor in rising mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, the time
between initial exposure and conclusive diagnosis can range anywhere from 20 to
50 years. Mesothelioma takes a long time to develop, and the symptoms of the
disease do not typically present themselves until the disease has progressed to
later stages. Early signs of mesothelioma can be easily mistaken for common,
everyday ailments. As a result, early symptoms such as fatigue, cough, muscle
weakness, fever and night sweats are often ignored, dismissed, or misdiagnosed.
While symptomatic patients can go undiagnosed for as many as six months, it is
common for patients to be diagnosed after two to three months of symptom onset.
Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms
The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma, a category of
mesothelioma that originates in the two layers that make up the lining of the
lungs and chest wall (known as the pleura), are most often caused by the tumors
that form within these layers. These tumors form, over time, after asbestos
inhalation has occurred. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they make their way
through the trachea or bronchi and eventually penetrate the pleural lining.
These asbestos fibers may then damage the DNA of mesothelial cells, causing unrestrained
cell growth and the growth of mesothelioma, which leads to the symptoms below.
Roughly 60% of patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma
report lower back or side chest pain. There are also recurrent instances of shortness
of breath. Some people may experience difficulty swallowing, a persistent
cough, fever, weight loss, or fatigue. Additional symptoms include muscle
weakness, loss of sensory capability, hemoptysis or coughing up blood, facial
and arm swelling, and hoarseness.
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| mesothelioma symptoms |
Stage I Symptoms
During stage I, which also includes sub-stages Ia and Ib,
the tumors are so small and localized that symptoms are rarely present. In
stage Ia, the tumors form in a scattered pattern, known as diffuse
mesothelioma, within the outer layer of the pleura that lines the chest wall,
or the parietal pleura. In stage Ib, this diffuse mesothelioma takes place
within the inner layer, or the visceral pleura. The presence of pleural
effusion during these stages the compilation of fluid between the layers of the
pleura may cause some early warning signs such as fever, body aches, chest
pain, and coughing. To control the effusion and these associated symptoms, the
fluid may need to be drained in a relatively incomplete surgical procedure.
Stage II Symptoms
In stage II, the small tumors remain localized within the
chest, but may begin to increase from the pleura to other lung tissues as well
as the diaphragm. In addition to pleural effusion and associated symptoms from
stage I, pleural thickening may occur in this stage due to scarring from
asbestos inhalation and tumor increase. This causes further respiratory
distress such as difficulty breathing, or dyspnea. Some patients also report
symptomatic weight loss.
Stage III Symptoms
In addition to an increase in severity of the symptoms linked
with the previous stages, stage III symptoms are specific to pleural
mesothelioma. This is also the stage at which the majority of patients are
diagnosed; at the same time, many stage III symptoms mirror those seen in lung infections
such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Tumors have spread throughout the pleura and
chest cavity on one side of the body as well as the lymph nodes, affecting the
lining of the heart and diaphragm, the chest wall, and neighboring tissues.
Depending on how the tumors spread, patients may continue or begin experiencing
chest pain or tightness and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
Symptoms presented at this stage can also include fever, fatigue, and weight
loss.
Stage IV Symptoms
By stage IV, the most higher stage, the cancer has
metastasized and tumors have spread throughout the chest cavity, and often to
organs and tissues on both sides of the body. Patients experience a range of
symptoms present in the previous stages such as fever, night sweats, chest pain
and tightness, shortness of breath, fatigue, and weight loss. Additionally,
symptoms may include fluid buildup and pain in the abdomen, anemia, hemoptysis,
and dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms
Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms the most ordinary form
beside pleural mesothelioma, originates in the abdomen and is difficult to
diagnose due to a lack of distinct symptoms. Similar to the role asbestos plays
in the growth of pleural mesothelioma when inhaled, asbestos fibers can also be
coughed up, swallowed, and settle in the stomach, leading to peritoneal
mesothelioma and the symptoms specific to the abdominal area. Reported symptoms
include localized abdominal pain related to a tumor, abdominal distension
without pain, weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. Fluid buildup in the abdomen,
or peritoneal effusion, may also occur, as well as painful bowel obstructions.
As with pleural effusions, doctors may also drain abdominal fluid buildup to
lessen discomfort.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms
The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma, a rare type of
mesothelioma originating in the lining of the heart, frequently present
themselves insidiously and may present as medical conditions such as constrictive
pericarditis, or inflammation of the sac-like covering of the heart, and fluid
around the heart known as pericardial effusion. Both of these conditions can
lead to pressure around the heart. As the tumor grows and places strain on the
heart, chest pain may also occur. Other symptoms may include cough, dyspnea,
paradoxical pulse, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and generalized weakness.
Testicular Mesothelioma Symptoms
Testicular mesothelioma, sumptoms the rarest type of
mesothelioma, comprises less than 5% of all mesothelioma cases, and the
symptoms are distracted. A consistent sign, however, is a mass or tumor located
in the testes, which is most often exposed during a surgical procedure.
Metastatic Mesothelioma Symptoms
In some cases where the cancer has progressed to later
stages, the cancerous cells may spread to other parts of the body through the
blood or lymph nodes. The symptoms of metastasis depend on the origin of the
cancer and where it then spreads. While mesothelioma typically metastasizes
locally, it can spread to the brain, bones, and adrenal glands, though
malignant cases are very rare. Some common symptoms of mesothelioma metastasis
outside of those that are stage-related include hemoptysis, nerve issues, and
bone pain.
Latency Period and Misdiagnosis
Identifying the warning signs of mesothelioma early on is
extremely difficult due to the typically long latency period between onset and
symptoms, which may not present themselves until the cancer has progressed to
its later stages. This, again, is due partly to the length of time it takes
mesothelioma to develop after initial exposure to asbestos. When symptoms do
arise, they are often nonspecific and thus misattributed to other ailments. In
its early stages, pleural mesothelioma is typically misdiagnosed as influenza
or pneumonia. Peritoneal mesothelioma is commonly misdiagnosed as a hernia or
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Mesothelioma Risk Factors
Exposure to asbestos is careful the main risk factor in developing
mesothelioma. Anyone displaying any of the above mesothelioma symptoms who may have been exposed to asbestos
should seek immediate medical attention from their primary care physician. Upon
receiving a positive diagnosis, he or she should then be referred to a doctor
specializing in the treatment of mesothelioma and thoracic oncology.
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