|
Symptoms and Treatment for Mesothelioma |
|
|
|
|
Written by kevin mclain
|
Mesothelioma is a type of asbestos related lung cancer that affects
millions of people. Mesothelioma is a unique disease in that symptoms
do not usually manifest themselves until anywhere from 20 to 50 years
after exposure to asbestos. For patients and doctors, this is the most
frustrating aspect of the disease. The latency period of mesothelioma
is lengthy, making the disease undiagnosable until its later stages
when symptoms finally begin to appear and little can be done to slow
the progress of the disease.Below are the symptoms of mesothelioma.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE SYMPTOMS MAY BE CAUSED BY MESOTHELIOMA
OR BY OTHER LESS SERIOUS CONDITIONS. ONLY A DOCTOR CAN MAKE A
DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS.
The most common symptoms of mesothelioma are difficulty in breathing, pain in the chest,
or both. Occasionally, a patient may not have mesothelioma symptoms at
diagnosis. Other less common symptoms include weight loss, fever, night
sweats, cough, and a general feeling of not being well. Mesothelioma
symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include swelling, pain due to
accumulation of fluid in the abdomen cavity, weight loss, and a mass in
the abdomen. Other mesothelioma symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may
include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia (a
lowered red blood cell count), and fever.
There are three traditional kinds of treatment for patients with malignant mesothelioma:
1- Surgery
2- Chemotherapy
3- Radiation therapy
|
