« Symptoms managed through palliative care | Home | Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) »
Mesothelioma symptoms
By Eden Ali | June 15, 2007
Symptoms of mesothelioma cancers may not surface until 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure. The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma cancers are shortness of breath, chest pain as a result of fliud accumulation in the pleural cavity, and cough.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are loss of weight and cachexia, swelling of the abdomen and pain as a result of ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdomen). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include intestinal obstruction, abnormalities in blood clotting, fever and anaemia. If there is mesothelioma cancers spread to other areas of the body, there may be symptoms such as pain, swallowing difficulties, or swelling of the neck or face.
These symptoms could also be caused by other less severe conditions.
Pleural Mesothelioma can lead to these signs and symptoms:
- pain in the chest wall;
- pleural effusion;
- dypsnea;
- weakness or anaemia;
- glottic spasm, dysphonia, or cough;
- traces of blood in the sputum when coughed up.
In serious condition, there could be several tumour masses. There may be development of a pneumothorax, or lung collapse.
Peritoneal mesothelioma do not often lead to symptom until the later stages of the cancers. Symptoms include:
- pain in the abdomen;
- ascites, or accumulation of fluid in the abdomen;
- tumour mass in the abdomen;
- intestinal malfunction;
- loss of weight.
In serious conditions of the disease, the following signs and symptoms could be observed:
- clots of blood in the veins, which may lead to thrombophlebitis;
- scattered intravascular coagulation, a disorder leading to serious bleeding in several organs of the body;
- jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin;
- low blood sugar;
- pleural effusion;
- pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs;
- severe ascites.
A peritoneal, pleural mesothelioma does not normaly spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.
Topics: Mesothelioma symptoms |
December 12th, 2007 at 3:27 am
http://www.mesothelioma.pl/causes.html also a bit of extra infos about this fatal desease