Welcome to lung mesothelioma!

Posted by May 13, 2008
Womens Health Womens Symptoms | Teen Health


Mesothelioma - Lung Cancer Symptoms:

Lung cancer symptoms are rarely felt until the disease has developed into an advanced stage. Even when symptoms are felt, people often tolerate them for some time before they seek medical assistance. For instance, it's easy to shrug off shortness of breath as being out of shape, or a chronic cough as a bad cold or allergies. More obvious symptoms, such as coughing up blood or dyspnea [difficulty breathing], may occur before medical advice is asked for.

Common lung cancer symptoms include:

  • Constant chest pain,
  • Chronic cough that worsens over time,
  • Coughing up blood [hemoptysis],
  • Dyspnea [difficulty breathing],
  • Fatigue,
  • Lung infection [pneumonia, bronchitis],
  • Shortness of breath,
  • Swollen lymph nodes,
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss, and
  • Wheezing

Wheezing, lung infection, chest pain, or other symptoms can indicate a number of medical conditions other than lung cancer and require professional diagnosis. Dyspnea and coughing up blood are alarming symptoms and require immediate medical attention.

Swollen lymph nodes are a sign of infection. The lymphatic system is the primary response system to infections. Malignant cancer cells can also enter the lymphatic system, causing the nodes to swell, and travel to more distant parts of the body, causing the cancer to spread rapidly.

There are other lung cancer symptoms in addition to the primary symptoms. Some of the following may not appear to do much with the respiratory system but in combination with other symptoms can indicate lung cancer:

  • Bone pain and tenderness,
  • Breast development in men,
  • Weakness,
  • Chills,
  • Speech difficulties or changes,
  • Droopy eyelids,
  • Swelling of the face and neck,
  • Fever,
  • Joint pain and swelling,
  • Muscle weakness,
  • Pale or bluish skin, and
  • Speech difficulties.

The vague nature of many of these symptoms [wheezing, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain] shows the need for a reliable screening process for people in high-risk groups.



Stage I: Mesothelioma is present within the right or left pleura, and may also involve the lung, pericardium, or diaphragm [he muscle separating the chest from the abdomen] on the same side.

Stage II: Mesothelioma invades the chest wall or involves the esophagus [food passage connecting the throat to the stomach], heart, or pleura on both sides. The lymph nodes in the chest may also be involved.

Stage III: Mesothelioma has penetrated through the diaphragm into the peritoneum [lining of the abdominal cavity]. Lymph nodes beyond those in the chest may also be involved.

Stage IV: There is evidence of distant metastases [spread through the bloodstream to other organs].

Mesothelioma Causes : mesothelioma peritoneum | mesothelioma risk | lung mesothelioma | mesothelioma smoking | mesothelioma | mesothelioma sarcomatiod | mesothelioma epithelioid | pleural mesothelioma | mesothelioms attorney | mesothelioma treatments | mesothelioms prognosis | mesothelioma pericardial | malignant mesothelioma

asbestos cancer information

Mesothelioma : Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of the asbestos and related diseases. Although un common, mesothelioma is no longer considered rare, mesothelioma is a cancer that is particularly difficult for doctors to diagnose and one that does not respond well to therapy, the chest cavity, abdominal cavity, and the most common site is the pleura [outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity] and others internal organs are also covered by these cells. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles,

Diagnosing Mesothelioma

Basic Diagnosis: Diagnosing mesothelioma often means ruling out many diseases with similar symptoms before completing the diagnostic process. The initial diagnosis of mesothelioma is often made through the family doctor. The patient will give a medical history, which will include answering questions about their history of exposure to asbestos. Other diagnostic tests include x-rays, CT scans or MRI scans. The purpose of these tests is to try to see any shadowing, or tumor growth. In the case of pleural mesothelioma, lung function tests are done.

Asbestos: combination of several minerals that separate into long, threadlike fibers. Because they do not burn, do not conduct heat or electricity, and are very resistant to chemicals, these minerals are often used for making fireproof materials, electrical insulation, roofing, filters, etc. benign doing no harm, good incidence the frequency with which an event occurs [usually in a group at risk] pericardium a thin membrane surrounding the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels.

Levels of Mesothelioma

Levels of Mesothelioma: Once a diagnosis of mesothelioma is made, the oncologist will want to determine what stage the cancer is in. The mesothelioma is considered localized if it is contained to the mesothelium. If it has spread to the lymph nodes, the chest, abdomen or other organs, then it is considered to be in the advanced stages. Staging the tumor is important because it helps the oncologist determine the best course of treatment. When deciding on a treatment protocol, physicians use the acronym TNM to determine the progression of the cancer. Tumor refers to the size of the tumor, N for whether or not there is lymph node involvement, and M for metastasis, or whether the tumor has spread to any other organs. The correct assessment as to the stage of the tumor gives the patient the best hope for a positive outcome.