Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is type of cancer that develops in the mesothelium of the body. It most commonly develops in the protective lining surrounding the lungs, although it can also develop around the abdominal cavity or the heart. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms of mesothelioma are often confused for other, less dangerous and more common diseases.
Another reason that mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose is that many people do not realize that they have experienced the number one risk factor for developing the disease. The cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Because asbestos was used so widely in earlier years, and in so many products, many people do not realize that they have been exposed to this hazardous mineral. Even if they realized that they were at risk for exposure, perhaps they worked in a mine or a navy shipyard, they may feel they have dodged the bullet of exposure. This is because the latency period for developing asbestos related disease is 20 to 50 years after exposure. Try to think back to what you were doing decades ago. When you do this, it is easy to realize how asbestos exposure can be overlooked.
Why the Confusing Symptoms?
In the early stages of mesothelioma, the disease has many vague symptoms. Some of the most common, such as fatigue, do not even raise a flag for much of the aging population. Symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath are difficult to quantify. Are you tired because you are sick, or have you had trouble sleeping lately? Are you short of breath because you are ill, or because you have cut back on your daily walk? These generalized problems, even if treated as symptoms of a health problem, do not give the doctor much to go on. Particularly in an aging patient, fatigue and shortness of breath can be the symptoms of any number of diseases.
As mesothelioma progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced. Pain, a cough that will not go away, and a build up of fluid around the affected area all point to mesothelioma. Depending on the area of the body where mesothelioma develops, patients can experience anemia, bowel obstruction, swelling in the feet and legs, weight loss and digestive problems. Once symptoms have progressed to this point, the physician will use an x-ray or CT scan to see the tumors and decide on a course of treatment.
Effusions
One common symptom that develops with mesothelioma are effusions. While effusions can develop as the result of other diseases, they are a red flag that will send your doctor looking for mesothelioma. An effusion is a condition where the body over manufactures fluid in the body. Normally, the body manufactured small amounts of fluid that are used to lubricate the coverings around the abdominal, heart and lung cavities. This fluid allows the organs to move smoothly in the body as they expand and contract. The healthy body produces the right amount of fluid.
In a patient with mesothelioma, the fluid production grows out of control. Fluid builds up in the body faster than it is used. The excess fluid causes pain and swelling in the area where it is located. Because most mesothelioma develops in the lining surrounding the lungs, the chest is a prime area for effusions to develop. In the rare cases where mesothelioma develops around the lining of the heart, chest pain is also a symptom. In addition, the build up of fluid can interfere with the heart's movement, causing an irregular heartbeat. Mesothelioma that develops in the lining surrounding the stomach causes fluid build up not only in the stomach, but also in the lower limbs, as gravity allows the fluid to drain into the feet and ankles. Patients that develop effusions in the abdominal cavity often believe they are gaining weight, as their girth expands, and their abdomen descends. In fact, the weight of the fluid can cause weight gain, but the pressure on the stomach can lead to a lack of appetite, and weight loss. These contradictory symptoms are why diagnosing mesothelioma is difficult.
How to Reach a Diagnosis
The reason that mesothelioma is so deadly is because of the delay many patients experience between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of treatment. Reading the list of symptoms, it is easy to see why mesothelioma patients experience this problem. The symptoms that patients experience from mesothelioma are easily confused with many other common diseases. The best way to survive mesothelioma is to receive an early diagnosis. An early diagnosis allows treatment of the tumors before they spread to other parts of the body, and allows the doctor to use an aggressive protocol before the patient is too weak to withstand the treatment. Any delay in diagnosis, and then treatment, reduces the odds that the patient will be one of the few that experience long term survival from mesothelioma.