One of the most difficult problems with diagnosing mesothelioma and connecting the symptoms with the disease is the fact that so many of the symptoms - both individually and in tandem - can easily be mistaken for other more common diseases like flu, pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, and others.
A doctor well versed in mesothelioma treatment will take time to investigate a patient's history and hopefully connect past exposure to asbestos with the symptoms. Patients, however, can do their part as well. Anyone that was ever exposed to asbestos, even if it was decades ago, should inform their doctor of the exposure. That information will not only aid the doctor in diagnosis but will also help eliminate the need for many costly and uncomfortable tests that may be ordered while fishing for a diagnosis.
Tests are being developed that will help diagnose mesothelioma at an earlier stage, even before the most common symptoms appear. It is hoped that these tests will aid in treating the disease before it reaches its most advanced stages.
The Symptoms
As was stated previously, symptoms of mesothelioma can vary, but the most common general symptoms are:
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Coughing
- Pain in chest or abdomen
- Fluid in the chest, lungs, or abdomen
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Inability to sleep
- Husky voice
- Difficulty swallowing
Depending on the type of mesothelioma diagnosed - pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal - symptoms might vary from the above, which pertain mostly to pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the disease.
Common symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma might include:
- Abdominal pain, acute to severe
- Swelling of the abdominal region due to fluid accumulation
- Breathing difficulties
- Loss of appetite resulting in weight loss
- Bowel obstruction
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Fever
- Anemia
- Common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma might include:
- Chest pain, ranging from uncomfortable to severe
- Shortness of breath
- Heart palpitations
- Persistent coughing
- Extreme fatigue after minimal activity or exertion
- Because the three types of the disease are similar but centered in different parts of the body, the patient is likely to have symptoms that overlap. For example, nearly all meso patients suffer from shortness of breath and fatigue, but the pain may be more apparent in the abdominal/stomach area for peritoneal patients and in the chest for those with pleural or pericardial mesothelioma.
If a doctor recognizes symptoms as indicative of mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, such as asbestosis, the patient will be asked to undergo several tests. Most doctors begin by ordering a conventional x-ray in order to get a closer look at the chest or abdomen. What appears on this x-ray will be the first indication of whether or not the doctor should continue pursuing his suspected diagnosis and order additional tests.
If mesothelioma is still suspected after the x-ray, an MRI or CT scan will most likely be in order. These sophisticated imaging processes allow an even closer look at organs such as the lungs or abdomen. A blood test may be ordered as well because such tests can measure the levels of specific proteins, which might aid in the diagnosis.
However, because other more common diseases, such as benign asbestos-related pleural disease, can have very similar appearances on imaging studies, a tissue biopsy is usually recommended and is often the final test that leads to an accurate diagnosis.
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