Mesothelioma Symptoms Based on Types of Mesothelioma
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma symptoms are the signs a mesothelioma cancer patient exhibits. They are differently characterized between the different types of organs cancer manifests itself in. at the beginning of the lifetime of mesothelioma cancer, the symptoms are mild, and one may rarely display signs of cancer.
However, as cancer progresses to the last stage, the symptoms are imminent and more severe. The average lifetime of a mesothelioma cancer patient is approximately 1-2 years.
Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor that affects the mesothelium, which is a lining that protects most of the internal organs in the body. The cancerous cells that attack the mesothelium duplicates and destroys the organ. They also metastasize to the rest of the organs as cancer becomes severe and affects them too.
The mesothelium comprises two layers – the inner layer that covers the organs and the outer layer that acts as a sac to the inner layer. In between the two membranes is a liquid that acts as a cushion and absorbs shock, thus protecting the organs and allows the organs to move with ease.
Types of Mesothelioma
Three common types of mesothelioma cancer affect the lining of the organs. Mesothelioma symptoms are distinctive in the different types of mesothelioma, although signs of more than one type can be exhibited in more than one organ is infected. The different types include:
Pleural mesothelioma
This is cancer that attacks the lung membrane, known as a pleural membrane. It is the most common type, with new cases of cancer standing at 80%. It is difficult to diagnose this type of mesothelioma in the early stages since the symptoms are mild and start expressing themselves later.
Due to its late detection, most of the patients last for about 17months. For diagnosis, it requires a tissue biopsy to determine whether it is prevalent or not.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen membrane (peritoneum) that encloses the spleen, liver, and bowel. The most common sign of this type of mesothelioma is intense abdominal pains, followed by fluid buildup in the organs that accelerates the pain to greater heights. Unlike in pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms are present from earlier stages, making it easier to curb cancer before it worsens. It is responsible for 10% of mesothelioma patients. To detect the presence of the peritoneal mesothelium, a CT or MRI scan is required.
The most common cause is ingestion of fibers or the presence of fibers in the mouth, which are then transported to the abdomen area by swallowing food or saliva. The fibers are then adopted by mesothelial cells and activate oncogenes. The other cause of peritoneal mesothelium is the transfer of asbestos from the lungs traveling through the lymphatic fluid to the abdomen.
Pericardial Mesothelioma
This is the other common type of mesothelioma cancer that destroys the pericardium membrane that protects the heart cavity. Its occurrence is rare and accounts for about 1% of mesothelioma cancer patients.
Pericardial mesothelium manifests itself in the human body when asbestos is inhaled, and some fibers from the lungs find their way into the bloodstream and finally into the heart cavity. It may also be contracted through asbestos emitted by the thoracic wall or lymph nodes.
To determine the presence of this type of mesothelioma cancer, a tissue biopsy is the best means; however, echocardiography will help determine the extent of thickening of the pericardium and whether it’s affecting heart function.
The Stages of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is generally described using a stage from 1 to 4, reflecting how far the disease has spread at diagnosis. According to the American Cancer Society, pleural mesothelioma is the only type with a formal staging system; peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma do not currently have one. Staging is one factor, alongside overall health and how the disease responds to treatment, that a specialist team considers when planning care — it does not by itself predict an individual outcome.
For a detailed look at what each stage generally involves, how doctors determine it, and treatment-planning considerations at each stage, see our mesothelioma stages overview, with dedicated guides for Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3. A dedicated Stage 4 guide is in development.
Mesothelioma Symptoms Cancer
Mesothelioma symptoms Based on different types of mesothelioma cancer.
Pleural mesothelioma symptoms
- Dyspnea (difficulty breathing)
- Hoarseness
- Fatigue
- Chest pains
- Low oxygen levels
- Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
- Fever and night sweats
- Chronic coughing
- Fluid buildup (pleural effusion)
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms
- Ascites (fluid buildup in the abdomen)
- Nausea
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pains
- Anorexia (loss of appetite)
- Blood clots (thrombosis)
- Anemia
- Bowel obstruction
- Fever
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels)
- Fluid buildup (peritoneal effusion)
Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms
- Irregular heartbeat rate and palpitations (arrhythmia)
- Chest pains
- Coughing (with blood sometimes)
- Fever and night sweats
- Dyspnea (difficulty breathing)
Mesothelioma Staging Systems
The staging of mesothelioma tumors includes three crucial systems that define each stage with specific character traits. These three systems include:
The Butchart System
The Butchart system was the first mesothelioma staging system that Dr. Eric Butchart developed in the year 1976. It is involved in staging the 4 stages and highly concentrates on the tumor location compared to the number and spread of the cancer cells in the patient’s body.
The Brigham System
Dr. David Sugarbaker developed the Brigham system while working at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard. It is lucrative at determining the four stages of mesothelioma symptoms and whether a patient can be surgically operated on to remove the tumor.
The TNM System
The TNM and Brigham systems are similar to each other in terms of the staging factors. However, the TNM system, which is commonly used, was developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). It focuses on the tumor, the spread to the lymph nodes, and metastasis, which classify the cancer patient in one of the 4 stages.
Mesothelioma Treatement
Treatment of mesothelioma cancer is often based on the stage of cancer, the prevailing mesothelioma symptoms, the type of cancer, the location, and the patient’s overall health condition. All these are critical determinants on establishing a specific treatment and whether or not the patient is viable for curative surgery or not.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the widely used treatment for mesothelioma cancer and other types of cancers as well. It can either be administered by pill or through an intravenous drip. It functions by killing the cancerous cells in the body. Therefore, it is best applied before and after surgeries as well.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy, also referred to as radiotherapy, involves using ultraviolet light to kill cancerous cells and shrink them into smaller sizes. Alongside chemotherapy, they are often used throughout the lifetime of mesothelioma cancer, stage by stage.
Curative Surgery
Curative surgery is for patients whose mesothelioma symptoms have not intensified and are still in the first or second stage. It involves the removal of the tumor, which is a large mass of infected tissue cells.
Palliative Surgery
Palliative surgery involves nonsurgical methods to remove fluid that has to build up in the various affected organs. This surgery aims to suppress the patient’s pain and the discomfort of mesothelioma symptoms. The common palliative surgeries include; thoracentesis for pleural mesothelioma, pericardiocentesis for pericardial mesothelioma, and peritoneal mesothelioma.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are trial and error methods that are carried out to determine whether the upcoming mesothelioma treatment function any better than those currently in use. For each treatment used to control mesothelioma intensity, it started as a clinical trial.
