Understanding Symptoms Depending on Mesothelioma Type
Being aware of the common mesothelioma symptoms is important for many people who are at risk of this disease. Who are at risk? People who work in the construction, manufacturing and shipyard industries are more prone to mesothelioma since these industries are known for using asbestos in their daily operation. People with family history of mesothelioma are also at higher risk since genes play an important role in this disease’s progression.Mesothelioma is a form of cancer known for showing too little or no symptoms at all especially during the early stages of the disease. It has a very long latency period sometimes even taking decades of asbestos exposure before the first symptom appears. Although asbestos has been regulated in the construction industries in the 80’s, it still left quite a number of casualties along the way. To this date, some cases are still reported tracing its history of contamination 20 years before.
There are various types of mesothelioma namely pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal mesothelioma. These mesothelioma types’ manifests various symptoms that can be too similar or too different depending on which category a case falls into.
Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma
This type of mesothelioma involves development of cancer cells in the pleural lining found along the lung area. As fluid gets stuck and accumulates in the layers of membrane, pleural lining thickens and puts pressure to the lungs that further results to the development of respiratory problems.Symptoms include:
- Frequent cough
- Difficulty of breathing
- Erratic fever
- Weight loss
- Painful sensation when swallowing food
- Traces of blood when coughing
- Development of lumps just below the chest area
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms
This type of mesothelioma involves cancer cells development along the peritoneal membrane of the abdomen. As peritoneal membrane thickens, the normal movement of abdominal organs is disrupted causing the following symptoms to manifest.- Erratic bowel movement
- Painful sensation along the abdominal region
- Nausea
- Anemia
- Recurring fever
- Frequent feeling of exhaustion and vomiting
- Weight Loss
- Development of lumps below the abdominal region
Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma
Of the three types of cancer, pericardial is the rarest form occurring in only about 1 in every 10000 population. Pericardial mesothelioma affects the area along the heart. As asbestos particles accumulates in body, it triggers development of cancerous cells in the pericardial region, blocking the membrane and disrupting blood flow causing symptoms such as:- Fatigue
- Chest pains
- Difficulty in breathing
- Fever and night sweats
- Frequent migraine
- Palpitations
These symptoms can manifest one after the other but there are also cases where combination of symptoms manifests at once. Curability rate of mesothelioma depends on the stage the disease was diagnosed. If it’s detected early, there is a high chance that the disease will be cured with treatment. However, as mentioned earlier, symptoms may not manifest up until the cancer cells have progressed to the advance stage. This is why it is important that you maintain regular check up and if you notice any of the mesothelioma symptoms, make sure to consult your doctor right away.