What Are the Symptoms of Mesothelioma

The symptoms of each type of mesothelioma are different. For each type, some symptoms are related to cancer in general, and other symptoms are related to the specific area of the body where the cancer is located.

Malignant mesothelioma is classified into four primary types, each defined by its location in the body:

• Pleural mesothelioma, which forms around the lung
• Peritoneal mesothelioma, which forms in the abdomen
• Pericardial mesothelioma, which forms around the heart
• Testicular mesothelioma, which forms around the testes

Common Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Common symptoms in many different types of mesothelioma include:

• Unexplained fatigue. This is due to the quickly-growing cancer cells using up the body’s energy.
• Unexplained weight loss and/or loss of appetite. This is related to the cancer cells using up the body’s nutrients. 
• Night sweats. While it isn’t entirely clear why certain cancers can cause night sweats, it’s believed to be related to the body’s inflammatory response as it tries to fight off the cancer cells.

Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma 

Pleural mesothelioma forms in the pleura, which is the membrane around the lungs. This is the most common form of mesothelioma, accounting for about 80% of all cases. Along with the general symptoms listed above, malignant pleural mesothelioma symptoms can include:

• Shortness of breath. This is often caused by a pleural effusion, which is a fluid buildup around the lungs. It can also be caused by one or more mesothelioma tumors taking up space in the chest cavity so that there’s not enough room for the lungs to expand.
• Chest pain. This pain tends to get worse as the disease progresses. The pain may be caused by the tumor itself pressing on nearby organs or on the chest wall, or by the buildup of fluid around the lungs.
• Cough. This is generally a dry cough, and it’s often painful. The cough may be caused by the pressure of the tumor on the lung and airways, and/or by the tumor pressing on the nerves that attach to the muscles of breathing.

Pleural mesothelioma symptoms are similar to the symptoms of several other diseases, including infections (such as pneumonia and influenza), COPD (damage to the lungs caused by irritants like smoking), asthma, and other types of cancer (such as lung cancer). Pleural mesothelioma patients may be misdiagnosed with one of these conditions, all of which are more common than mesothelioma.

Symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma 

Peritoneal mesothelioma forms in the peritoneum, which is the membrane around the digestive system. This is the second most common type of mesothelioma, accounting for about 15% of all cases. Along with the general symptoms listed earlier, peritoneal mesothelioma can also cause:

• Abdominal pain. This pain tends to get worse as the disease progresses. The pain may be caused by one or more mesothelioma tumors pressing on nearby organs or the abdominal wall, or by the buildup of fluid.
• Swelling of the abdomen. This is often caused by ascites, which is a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
• Nausea. This can be related to the pressure of the tumor on the abdominal organs, or fluid buildup. It may also be related to inflammation related to the body’s attempts to get rid of the cancer.

These symptoms are similar to the symptoms of several other conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory disease of the intestines), and other types of cancer (such as ovarian cancer). Peritoneal mesothelioma patients are sometimes misdiagnosed with one of these conditions.

Did you know?

The diagnostic process can take some time. One study showed that the average amount of time between the time a patient first noticed symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma and the diagnosis was over four and a half months.

Pericardial Mesothelioma 

Pericardial mesothelioma forms in the pericardium, which is the membrane around the heart. This is a rare form of mesothelioma, accounting for less than 1% of all cases of mesothelioma. Along with the same general symptoms as other types, pericardial mesothelioma can also cause:

• Difficulty breathing. This is generally present even at rest and is often worse when lying down. This symptom is related to the tumor taking up space in the chest cavity and putting pressure on the airways.
• Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat. This is usually related to fluid buildup around the heart, which is called a pericardial effusion.
• Chest pain. This may occur as a result of a tumor pressing on nearby structures or the chest wall, or by the buildup of fluid around the heart.
• Cough. This is usually a dry cough and is commonly painful. The cough can occur because one or more tumors put pressure on the lungs and airways, or because a tumor presses on the nerves that control breathing.

Similar symptoms may be caused by congestive heart failure, other types of heart disease, pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium), or cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle). Pericardial mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed; only about 20% of patients receive a definitive diagnosis before death.

Testicular Mesothelioma

Testicular mesothelioma forms in the tunica vaginalis, which is the membrane around the testes. This is the rarest form of mesothelioma, accounting for fewer than 1% of all cases. Along with the general symptoms, testicular mesothelioma can also cause:

• Fluid buildup in the scrotum is known as a hydrocele.
• A mass in the scrotum. This is often painless, although it may cause pain.

Similar symptoms can also be caused by an inguinal hernia or another type of testicular cancer. Testicular mesothelioma patients are sometimes misdiagnosed with one of these conditions.

Symptoms of End Stage Mesothelioma

When mesothelioma enters its final stage, there is a set of symptoms that are commonly experienced by patients, no matter which type of mesothelioma they have. The symptoms of end-stage mesothelioma may be a progression from the early symptoms, and new symptoms may also develop. Common end-stage mesothelioma symptoms include:

• Extreme fatigue: As the number of cancer cells in the body grows, the cancer will use more and more of the patient’s energy, leaving them feeling very tired and depleted.
• Night sweats: Some patients may find that these are more severe as their disease progresses. This is likely due to the body’s attempts to fight off the cancer.
• Severe weight loss: As the cancer begins to take up more and more of the body’s energy, most patients begin to lose weight. If it’s difficult for the patient to swallow or to digest food, then this may contribute to weight loss.
• Pain: For some patients, the pain from end-stage cancer can be severe. In general, this pain will be felt primarily in the area where the cancer is growing. If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, pain may be felt there as well.
• Difficulty breathing: For tumors in the chest, the cancer may start to take up so much space in the chest that it’s hard for the patient to get enough breath.
• Coughing up blood: This happens if tumors are growing in the chest, and they
• Difficulty swallowing: Tumors growing in the chest can press on the esophagus, which is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This can make it more difficult for the patient to swallow. They may need to take very small bites so that they’re able to swallow the food.

How can you manage mesothelioma symptoms?

Mesothelioma symptoms can be very uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are ways to help manage these symptoms and make the mesothelioma patient more comfortable, while they’re waiting for their diagnosis or while going through treatment.

It’s important to recognize that mesothelioma is a cancer, and curing it is not always possible. There are some cases of mesothelioma in which long-term cancer-free survival is a realistic possibility.

However, in some cases, managing the symptoms of mesothelioma is all that doctors can do for a patient. Whether a patient is undergoing potentially curative treatment or not, there are still ways to manage mesothelioma symptoms and help to improve the patient’s comfort.

Pain medication

The pain of mesothelioma can range from mild to severe. Pain is a very individualized symptom, and different people’s nervous systems feel pain very differently. The same physical condition may cause a lot of pain in one person, and much less pain in another. Pain as a mesothelioma symptom can vary greatly from one person to another and also tends to change over time as the disease progresses.

To manage pain, doctors often start with over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). If these are not effective, then opioid pain medications may be helpful. Opioids can be addictive, and many people don’t like the side effects, so it’s important to be careful with these powerful drugs.

Doctors will generally start with a weaker medication at a smaller dose, and slowly ramp up to the lowest dose capable of controlling pain.

Palliative therapy for mesothelioma symptoms

In some cases, other medical treatments can help deal with mesothelioma symptoms. Many mesothelioma symptoms are caused by the presence of excess fluid. A procedure to drain this fluid can be helpful. For example, fluid can be drained from the abdomen through a needle inserted through the skin, or from the space around the lung through a flexible plastic tube inserted through the chest wall.

Other procedures for pain control include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. All of these can be used to shrink one or more tumors that are causing symptoms, to help relieve the symptoms. The benefit of making the patient more comfortable has to be weighed against the risk of side effects from the procedure.

Many of these procedures are similar to the treatments that are used to cure mesothelioma. When they’re used for relieving symptoms rather than to cure the cancer, the treatment will be less aggressive. For example, extrapleural pneumonectomy is a very invasive surgery that’s used to try to cure pleural mesothelioma. For palliative care, a less invasive procedure called debulking would be used instead.

Do you have symptoms of mesothelioma?

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of mesothelioma, then it’s important to bring them up with your doctor as soon as possible. Having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that you have malignant mesothelioma, as very similar symptoms can be caused by a variety of different diseases.

However, it’s better not to dismiss your symptoms and hope that they’ll go away on their own. With mesothelioma as well as many other cancers, the earlier it’s diagnosed, the better the chance of a cure.

To determine whether your symptoms are indeed caused by mesothelioma, you’ll need some testing. A variety of different tests are used to make a mesothelioma diagnosis.

If you’ve ever had any known or potential exposure to asbestos (such as if you or your spouse worked in an industry with a high risk of asbestos exposure), make sure that you tell your doctor about this.

Asbestos is the major risk factor for this disease, and it greatly increases the chances of developing mesothelioma. Knowing about your exposure could help your doctor to make the correct diagnosis more quickly.

If you do have mesothelioma, then you’ll most likely be referred to a cancer center, where you can receive treatment from a mesothelioma specialist with experience in treating this rare cancer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are several frequently asked questions asked from individuals experiencing symptoms of mesothelioma.