Mesothelioma is considered a unique disease because symptoms do not show themselves until 20 or more years later.  Sometimes it is as long as 50 years after exposure when symptoms finally appear.  For both doctors and patients this is extremely frustrating.  Because the disease is latent for so long, symptoms do not appear until late stage mesothelioma cancer has already developed.  By the time doctors diagnose, there is little left to do other than treat in an attempt to slow the progression of the disease, and control pain.

Like any disease, symptoms can vary.  Mesothelioma is no different.  Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the illness, as well as the type of mesothelioma.  There are three main types of mesothelioma - pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal – each type produces somewhat different symptoms.  Age and overall health can also play a role in how the disease affects the patient. 

One of the most difficult problems with a mesothelioma diagnosis is actually associating the symptoms with the disease.  So many of the symptoms either alone or when associated with another symptom can be mistaken for other more common diseases like pneumonia, flu, heart disease, or bronchitis to name just a few. 

A doctor that is well experienced in mesothelioma treatment will take the time to investigate a patient’s history and have a better chance of connecting the different symptoms and making the relationship with those symptoms and previous exposure to asbestos. 

Patients also need to take an active role.  If a person has ever been exposed to asbestos, one should inform their doctor of that exposure.  This information can assist the doctor in the diagnoses of mesothelioma.  It can also save the patient from being exposed to a great many uncomfortable tests while doctors are on a fishing expedition.

Tests are in the developmental stage that will help with an earlier stage diagnosis of mesothelioma.  These tests would occur before even the most common symptoms appear.  It is hoped that earlier testing might mean earlier treatment before the advanced stages of the disease arrive.

General symptoms can include – shortness of breath, coughing, difficulty breathing, fluid in the lungs, chest, or abdomen, pain in the chest or abdomen, husky voice, difficulty swallowing, weight loss, loss of appetite, and the inability to sleep.  Initially the symptoms may come and go.  They may begin as no more than a minor annoyance or they can be severe and life threatening right away.

Generally, a persistent cough and difficult breathing are the two symptoms that bring a person into the doctor’s office.  Both are a result of the lungs being unable to expand properly because of the tumors in the pleural region.  As the tumors grow, fluid can enter the pleural, peritoneum, or pericardium, which causes pain in the area.  The pain can range from acute to severe.  The difficulty breathing makes it hard to sleep, and it causes loss of appetite, which leads to weight loss. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, but peritoneal mesothelioma also occurs and has a different set of symptoms, and so does pericardial mesothelioma.

Peritoneal symptoms include abdominal pain that can range from acute to severe, swelling in the abdominal region because of the accumulation of fluid, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, bowel obstruction, and loss of appetite that causes weight loss, fever, and anemia.

Symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest pain that can range from just uncomfortable to severe, heart palpitations, persistent cough, and extreme fatigue with even minimal activity.

The three types of mesothelioma are similar but occur in different parts of the body so the symptoms often overlap.  For example, regardless of what type of mesothelioma the patient has, almost all suffer with fatigue and shortness of breath. 

If a physician recognizes the symptoms as indicative of an asbestos related disease like mesothelioma, a set of tests will be ordered beginning with an x-ray.  If mesothelioma is suspected after the x-ray a CT scan or MRI will be ordered, as well as blood work that checks levels of protein.  It may take a tissue biopsy to confirm mesothelioma. 

Upon confirmation of mesothelioma, a treatment team will be assigned and a treatment plan determined.  The team will be made up of a chest surgeon, oncologist specializing in mesothelioma treatments, a specialized nursing team to help in patient care, as well as other specialist resources. 

There is no cure for mesothelioma.  The best one can hope for is to extend life and improve the quality by controlling pain.