Mesothelioma Cancer Symptoms

Problem breathing is one of the main mesothelioma cancer symptoms.

The growth of malignant cells in the pleura or the peritonium is called the mesothelioma cancer.

The pleura is the thin layer of tissue which lines the chest cavity and the peritoneum is the thin layer which lines the abdomen and the almost all the organs present in the abdomen. Let us first look at the causes before knowing about the Mesothelioma cancer symptoms

Causes of Mesothelioma Cancer

The dreadful disease occurs as a result of genetic mutations which turn the normal cells into abnormal cells. The cells normally grow and multiply and die in certain time but these abnormal cells do not die and instead grow rapidly and multiply tremendously to form more cells at a point. These abnormal cells accumulate at a certain area and form tumor.

In due course of time this tumor erupts and spread to various other regions in the body or parts or organs in the body. This stage is defined as metstatic stage which is the advanced stage of cancer.

Mesothelioma cancer has certain risk factors which increase the chances of developing the disease. The exact cause of this cancer is considered to be asbestos, exposure to this substance is considered the main cause of this disease. The second cause is very few cases may be due to affect of virus.

Common Mesothelioma Cancer Symptoms or Signs of Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma cancer symptoms or Signs of Mesothelioma Cancer vary depending on where the cancer occurs. As mentioned above the mesothelioma cancer may affect either the pleura or the peritoneum so the symptoms also differ accordingly.

Pleural mesothelioma cancer symptoms and signs may include:

  • Painful breathing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain under the rib cage
  • Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on the chest
  • Dry (nonproductive) cough
  • Unexplained weight loss

Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer symptoms and signs may include:

  • A change in the bowel habits, such as more frequent diarrhea or constipation
  • Abdominal swelling
  • Abdominal pain
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Lumps of tissue in the abdomen

Mesothelioma cancer of the tunica vaginalis may be first detected as a mass on a testicle. Pericardial mesothelioma cancer symptoms and signs may include difficulty breathing and fever. These forms are so rare that the signs and symptoms are not much clear.

The signs and mesothelioma cancer symptoms when the disease has spread to other parts of the body include pain in the area where cancer has spread, also patients may experience difficulty in swallowing food, and a noticeable swelling may be seen in the neck area and face. The above mentioned are the very common mesothelioma cancer symptoms which differ from person to person.