The Multitopic Blog

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that in most cases is caused due to exposure to asbestos in the past. Mesothelioma is a disease that affects the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers many important cavities & internal organs, wherein malignant cells develop in the Mesothelium. Though mesothelioma affect body cavities like the pleura, it most commonly occurs in the peritoneum or the pericardium. Studies have found that most people who develop mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos on previous occasions wherein they have inhaled asbestos at the workplace such as being involved in the beating of asbestos sheets or the usage of asbestos cement products. Studies also indicate that unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma & smoking.

Signs and symptoms

Very often mesothelioma may not produce symptoms until 20 to 50 years after coming into contact with asbestos. Some of the signs of pleural mesothelioma include shortness of breath, cough and chest pain which occurs due to accumulation of fluid in the pleural space. Pleural mesothelioma may also have the following signs & symptoms:

· Pain in the chest wall

· Fluid surrounding the lungs, also known as pleural effusion

· Fatigue

· Anaemia

· Blood in the fluid that is coughed up

· Wheezing & hoarseness of the voice

The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can be weight loss & cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites. Bowel obstruction, blood clotting, fever, anaemia etc may are often symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma. Pain, trouble while swallowing and swelling of the face & neck may also occur of the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium.

These symptoms could have been caused by mesothelioma or by less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

In extremely severe cases, the person may also develop tumor masses. The individual’s lung may collapse or he may develop a pneumothorax. In such a situation there is always the risk that the disease may metasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that form in the abdominal cavity do not manifest their affects on the body until very late. Symptoms of abdominal tumor include:

• abdominal pain or the formation of a mass in the abdomen
• ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
• Bowel problems
• weight loss

In cases where the disease gets very severe, a person may exhibit the following symptoms:

• blood clots in the veins, which may in course of time lead to thrombophlebitis
• disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disease that causes the organs of the body to breathe severely
• jaundice,
• The blood sugar level may fall greatly
• pleural effusion
• pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
• severe ascites

Mesothelioma has been found to spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands in only very rare & extreme circumstances while pleural tumors usually are confined to only on one side of the lungs.