Mesothelioma

The National Cancer Institute states that: "Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the pericardium)."

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not show until 20 to 50 years past exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breathing, cough, and pain in the trunk due to a gathering of liquid in the pleural space are frequently symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma consist of weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a increase of liquid in the abdominal cavity). Additional symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma might consist of bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, also fever. If the cancer has widen afar the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may consist of pain, problem swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

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

* chest wall pain

* pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung

* shortness of breath

* fatigue or anemia

* wheezing, hoarseness, or cough

* blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up