Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Common Malignant Mesothelioma Symptoms:

The early symptoms of mesothelioma are generally non-specific, and may lead to a delay in diagnosis.

Sometimes similar to viral pneumonia, pleural mesothelioma patients may present with shortness of breath, chest pain and/or persistent cough. While some patients show no symptoms at all. A chest x-ray may show a build-up of fluid or pleural effusion. The right lung is affected 60% of the time, with involvement of both lungs being seen in approximately 5% of patients at the time of diagnosis.

Less common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include fever, night sweats and weight loss. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include pain or swelling in the abdomen due to a build-up of fluid, nausea, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia or swelling of the feet.

The onset of symptoms is insidious, and patients often experience symptoms for 4-6 months before the diagnosis is made.

The most common symptoms are the following:

Recent onset of shortness of breath (31%)
Recent increase in shortness of breath (30%)
Chest pain (43%)

Other symptoms include the following:

Cough (35%)
Weight loss (23%)
Weakness (18%)
Increased sputum production (18%)
The most common findings on physical examination (79%) are signs of pleural effusion.

Patients with peritoneal involvement experience symptoms as follows:

Abdominal pain (60%)
Anorexia (27%)
Weakness (12%)
Nausea (11%)

The most common signs of peritoneal mesothelioma include the following:

Abdominal distention (56%)
Ascites (37%)
Weight loss (38%)
Abdominal mass (11%)
Frequency of Mesothelioma