Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, coughing pain, and in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, difficulty swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.
These symptoms can be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.
Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause 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) cough (hemoptysis)
In severe cases, people may have many tumor masses. Individuals can develop pneumothorax or lung collapse. This disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.
Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at the final stage. Symptoms include:
Stomach ache
Ascites, or abnormal fluid buildup in abdomen
A mass in the abdomen
Problems with bowel function
Weight loss
In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
Blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
Jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
Low blood sugar level
Pleural effusion
Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
Severe ascites
A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.
Staging of mesothelioma is based on a recommendation by the International Mesothelioma Interest Group. TNM classification of primary tumor, lymph node involvement, and distant metastases do. Mesothelioma is staged la-IV (single-A to four) based on the TNM status.
