Symptoms of Mesotheloma

Symptoms of mesotheloma may not develop until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. The early symptoms of mesothelioma are usually non-precise, and so may cause delay in diagnosis.

Sometimes it seems like viral pneumonia, pleural mesotheloma patients may present with chest pain, shortness of breath, and/or persistent cough; some patients may show no symptoms at all. A chest x-ray may show a build-up of fluid or pleural effusion .The right lung is usually affected in 60% of cases, with involvement of both lungs is being seen in approximately 5% of mesothelioma patients at the time of diagnosis. Less usual symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include fever, night sweats and weight loss.

If the tumor has extended beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, difficulty in swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesotheloma may include pain or swelling (lump) in the abdomen due to collection of fluid, nausea, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia or swelling of the feet.

Please don’t forget that these all signs and symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other relatively less severe conditions. Only an experienced doctor can make a final diagnosis for this.

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

• pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
• chest pain
• shortness of breath(Dysnea)
• fatigue or anemia
• wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
• blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up
• In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Mesotheloma tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:

• abdominal pain
• ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
• a mass in the abdomen
• problems with bowel function
• weight loss
• In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
• blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
• disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
• jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• low blood sugar level
• pleural effusion
• pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
• severe ascites

A mesotheloma does not commonly spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.

Tags:

Pleural Effusion:

• Introduction

One of the most usual symptoms of mesotheloma is a pleural effusion, or an accumulation of fluid between the parietal pleura (the pleura [sac] around the chest wall and diaphragm) and the visceral pleura (the pleura around the lungs). Both of these membranes are enclosed with mesothelial cells which, under routine conditions, generate a small amount of fluid that acts as a lubricant between the chest wall and the lung. Any extra fluid is absorbed by blood and lymph vessels maintaining a balance. When too much fluid forms, the answer is an effusion.

• Types of pleural effusion

Pleural effusion is classified into two types, transudates and exudates. A transudate is a clear fluid that forms not because the pleural surfaces are diseased, but because of an imbalance between the average production and removal of the fluid. The most common cause of transudative fluid is congestive heart failure (CCF). An exudate, which is often cloudy and contains many cells (pus cells) and proteins, results from disease of the pleura itself, and is common to mesotheloma. To verify whether a fluid is a transudate or exudate, a diagnostic thoracentesis, in which a needle or catheter is used to collect a fluid sample, may be conducted.

• Symptoms of pleural effusion

As the amount of fluid increases, shortness of breath, also known as “dyspnea”, and sometimes pain, ranging from mild to acute, may appear. Some patients may experience a dry cough. When the physician listens to the patient’s chest with a stethoscope, normal breath sounds are muffled, and tapping on the chest will show dull rather than hollow sounds.

• Diagnosis of pleural effusion

Diagnosis of pleural effusion is commonly accomplished with a plain chest x-ray, though CT scans or ultrasound (USG) can also be used. A special x-ray, called a lateral decubitus film, may be used to identify smaller effusions or to allow the physician to estimate the amount of fluid present. If the underlying source of the effusion is evident (such as in the case of severe congestive heart failure(CCF)), sampling of the fluid may not be essential, however, because pleural effusion may be symptomatic of a number of disease processes from benign to malignant, a fluid sample is usually taken. Diagnostic thoracentesis, in which cells are extracted from the pleural cavity, is usually done when the possibility of mesotheloma exists, however, in up to 85% of cases, the fluid tests negative or inconclusive even though tumor is present. It is ultimately a needle biopsy of the pleura (lining of the lung) or an open surgical biopsy which confirms a mesothelioma diagnosis.

• Treatment of pleural effusion

Pleural effusion caused by heart failure(CCF) or infection can usually be resolved by directing therapy at the cause, however, when testing has realized no diagnosis, and fluid continues to collect, doctors may advise chest tube drainage and chemical pleurodesis. Chemical pleurodesis is a procedure in which a sclerosing agent is used to abrade the pleural surfaces producing an adhesion between the parietal and visceral pleurae. This will avoid further effusion by eliminating the pleural space. Talc appears to be the most valuable agent for pleurodesis, with a success rate of almost 95%. It is highly effective when administered by whichever poudrage or slurry. Poudrage is the most commonly used technique of instilling talc into the pleural space. Before spraying the talc, the medical team removes all pleural fluid to completely collapse the lung. After the talc is administered, they inspect the pleural space to be sure the talc has been evenly distributed over the pleural space. Some doctors wish to use talc mixed with saline solution which forms wet slurry that can roll around the pleural cavity.

Tags: