Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms

In the early stages of malignant mesothelioma, there are no indications of pleural mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers, usually in a work environment. When a person inhales asbestos dust, the minute fibers stick to the lining of the lungs, called the pleura. Fifteen to 40 years can pass before any symptoms manifest, and the symptoms are easily mistaken for other, less serious respiratory conditions, like the flu, a cold, laryngitis, pneumonia, or whooping cough. Since the advent of symptoms indicates that the disease is in its final stages, delay in diagnosis can impact prognosis and treatment in a negative way. One way that a patient can help his doctor reach a correct diagnosis is with communication. The medical history of any patient who was ever exposed to asbestos should contain the fact that he was exposed to asbestos.


Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of malignant mesothelioma, totaling about 75% of all malignant mesothelioma cases. Symptoms develop after the disease has reached the late stages, often too late to help the patient recover.

• Shortness of breath – the patient may find it hard to breathe deeply and feel like he is not getting enough air.
• Breathing pain – the patient may feel a pain under the ribcage. This is known as pleurisy.
• Lower back pain – fluid in the lungs is often associated with lower back pain.
• Painful cough – the weight and pressure of the fluid may result in a painful cough, similar to that caused by pneumonia.
• Dry cough – a dry, shallow cough without sputum can be caused by lung tumors.
• Unexplained weight loss – weight loss in excess of 10% body weight is an indicator of cancer.
• Lumps – Tumors can sometimes be felt as lumps of tissue under the skin of the chest.

Other, less common symptoms may include difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, coughing blood, fatigue, muscle weakness, and sensory loss. A small percentage, 3%, of pleural mesothelioma patients, are asymptomatic and never exhibit any signs of sickness.


How Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms Develop:


The pleura is comprised of two layers of protective covering with specialized cells that secrete a liquid that lubricates movement and eliminates friction between the lungs and other organs. Tiny, sharp asbestos fibers inflame the pleura cells and lead to the growth of deadly tumors. Some people exposed to asbestos fibers first develop asbestosis, a less severe condition that can later be followed by malignant mesothelioma.


Decades may go by with the asbestos fibers lodged in the pleura. Eventually, tumors grow and fill the spaces that allow fluids to drain, and at the same time the inflamed cells produce more fluid, resulting in fluid buildup in the lung lining. This buildup results in discomfort and then severe pain, impedes lung expansion and disrupts normal breathing functions. If pleural mesothelioma goes undiagnosed and reaches the advanced stages, the cancerous cells can spread, or metastasize, to nearby organs including the heart, lymphatic system, and abdomen.