Mesothelioma Can be Very Difficult to Diagnose

This Malignancy Cancer is Very Rare, yet Extremely Aggressive

Sep 16, 2009 Emily Rogers

There is a wide range of mesothelioma symptoms and this may cause a delay in the diagnosis. This is a rare form of malignant cancer, yet it is very deadly.

A very rare type of cancer called mesothelioma (malignancy cancer) arises from the cells which line the sacs of the chest (pleura) or the abdomen (peritoneum). It is more common for individuals to get the pleural form than it is for them to get the peritoneal. The pleural mesothelioma symptoms affect the chest area and the peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms affect the organs which surround the abdomen. This cancer is caused by the exposure to a substance called asbestos and the initial diagnosis is often delayed due to the wide range of symptoms involved.

The History of Mesothelioma

Most people with this type of malignant cancer have been in a situation where they have inhaled asbestos. Some individuals were exposed to this substance through their own home, without ever even knowing about it. The U.S. OSHA issued certain restrictions on asbestos in 1983 which stabilized the number of new cases of mesothelioma. Although, in Europe, the reported cases of mesothelioma cancer has increased over time.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

The signs of mesothelioma can vary and this can often lead to a long process of diagnosing the disease. The wide ranges of symptoms generally include:

Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath)
Coughing
Chest pain
Abdomen pain
Swelling of the abdomen
Fluid in the lungs
Fluid in the abdomen
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Fever
Nausea
Bowel obstruction
Swelling of the feet
Insomnia
Difficulty swallowing
Hoarseness in the voice

Mesothelioma Medical Prognosis

As mesothelioma symptoms are non specific and most of these symptoms can be related to other health issues, this can be very difficult for doctors to make an instant diagnosis. This type of malignancy cancer is quite uncommon and with keeping this in mind, as well as the fact that patients’ may only have a few of these symptoms, it is easy to see why doctors may have a delay in diagnosing the condition. Once a person inhales the asbestos substance, the mesothelioma symptoms may take decades to develop and individuals are often unaware of the severity of their condition.

Surviving Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma continues to affect around two to three thousand individuals per year throughout the U.S., while more than ten thousand cases are diagnosed worldwide. It is more common in men than women, as three times more men are diagnosed than women. It can sometimes take twenty to fifty years for someone to have mesothelioma symptoms and the expected length of surviving mesothelioma cancer is somewhere around ten months.

There is no cure for mesothelioma, although if doctors can make an early diagnosis, all the new medications can often increase a patient’s life expectancy. Even though this type of malignant cancer is rare, it is still a serious illness that continues to threaten many lives, as this an extremely aggressive form of cancer.

Asbestos Poisoning

The copyright of the article Mesothelioma Can be Very Difficult to Diagnose in Health Field is owned by Emily Rogers. Permission to republish Mesothelioma Can be Very Difficult to Diagnose in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Surviving Mesothelioma Cancer