Mesothelioma, the cancer of mesothelium, occurs in three forms, namely, pleural, peritoneal and pericardial. The infection occurs due to exposure to asbestos particles for long periods and is one of the most serious forms of cancer. Normally, mesothelioma symptom comes up and the infection is detected only at developed stages and this factor alone is responsible for most mesothelioma deaths.
The three types of mesothelioma throws up mostly similar symptoms and only an experienced medical practitioner can detect the exact type of infection. Wrong diagnosis has often resulted in delay in accurate treatment leading to the death of the patient. Pleural mesothelioma throws up symptoms like shortness of breath, hoarseness, difficulty while swallowing, coughing up of blood, building up of excess fluid between the pleura which is called pleural effusion, pain in the chest, abdomen, shoulder or arm, loss of weight, weakness, fever and loss of appetite.
However, symptoms may vary from patient to patient and according to the severity of the sickness. Shortness of breath and chest pain are experienced by around 90% of all patients, pleural effusion is witnessed in 84% while weight loss is observed in fewer than thirty percent of patients only. Around 3% patients remain asymptomatic.
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients experience weight loss, pain or swelling in the abdomen, obstruction of bowels, high fever etc. Here also some patients may not experience all these symptoms but some others may witness some additional mesothelioma symptom also. Pericardial mesothelioma symptoms are chest pain of varying degrees, persistent coughing, high fatigue without any physical activity etc.
Recognizing the symptoms in the right perspective is the first step towards formulating a winning treatment formula. Mesothelioma symptom usually appears after the person is well past his or her prime and this is also a restricting factor in mesothelioma cure. Once the doctor recognizes the type of cancer from the symptoms and checkups, treatment procedures start in real earnest. If the tumor is just a localized growth, it can be removed by surgery. But chemotherapy and radiation also may be required to fight advanced stages of this cancer and the results are not always encouraging.
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