Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms and Diagnostic Testing

Malignant pleural mesothelioma cancer is a rare form of lung cancer that occurs in the protective lining of the lungs and chest wall. It most often occurs in people who have had a history of extended exposure to a carcinogen such as asbestos, the agent most commonly known to cause mesothelioma.

Nearly seventy-five percent of all individuals who are diagnosed with mesothelioma have malignant pleural mesothelioma. Early diagnosis is very important to the patient’s prognosis. The symptoms of malignant pleural mesothelioma (at times referred to as diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma or simply “DMPM”) are shared with numerous other lung diseases and therefore offer little help in the way of early diagnosis.

Since the latency period of mesothelioma is up to fifty years, many individuals are unaware that mesothelioma is developing because no symptoms are exhibited until late in the development of the disease. Once this type of cancer begins to develop on the pleura (the lining of the lung and chest cavity), it aggressively grows and spreads to other parts of the body cavity including the other lung, the chest wall, and the heart, as well as any other nearby structure.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms

Malignant pleural mesothelioma symptoms may be mild and hardly noticeable or painful and life consuming. In early stage of cancer, the symptoms associated with pleural mesothelioma resemble common respiratory symptoms associated with such passing conditions as chest congestion or flu. However, as the cancer develops over time, malignant pleural mesothelioma can cause difficult and painful breathing, chest pains, and persistent coughs. Other patients may be asymptomatic, showing no symptoms of the cancer at all.

The most common symptoms of malignant pleural mesothelioma include many common respiratory symptoms:

• Pleurisy (pain when breathing or difficulty breathing)
• Chest Pain
• Dry, sometimes painful, coughing
• Breathlessness or shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Difficulty swallowing
• Fatigue, lethargy and weakness
• Back Pain
• Unexplained\unplanned weight loss
• Fever\Sweating
• Hoarse voice
• Swelling in the face, arms, neck (upper extremities)

Patients who have smoked cigarettes for a number of years may not realize that another disease is at work until it’s too late to treat the cancer. As expressed before, telling doctors about a history of asbestos exposure is critical to treating malignant pleural mesothelioma. A Stage 1 diagnosis and a Stage 3 diagnosis can mean a difference of several years in the short survival rate associated with pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Diagnosing malignant pleural mesothelioma often happens accidentally as a result of screening for a disease with similar symptoms. A known history of asbestos exposure can assist in finding the correct diagnosis as early as possible. This important facet of the patient history will alert the doctor to the possibility that a rare disease may be working against the health of the patient.

It is the job of doctors to determine the cause of symptoms presented by a patient. In cases of pleural mesothelioma, however, those symptoms make it necessary to eliminate a number of other common ailments. A simple chest cold, allergies, bronchitis, and myriad conditions share the symptoms. When superficial conditions have been eliminated, most physicians recommend the patient to a specialist to produce images of the chest cavity as a way to see if there is any visible reason for the symptoms.

In general, physicians follow a specific order of examination to help conclude a diagnosis:

• A physical exam that may expose superficial lumps on the chest region.
• Blood tests may bring to light any imbalance that implies a cancer is present in the body.
• Imaging scans detect dense tissues and tumors commonly associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
• A biopsy of any dense tissue or tumor will prove the type of cells present in an abnormality discovered on the images.

Specialist will employ one or more methods in order to gain the necessary information for accurate diagnosis.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and Diagnostic Images

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is often diagnosed at later stages of the disease, when the cancer’s progression has caused a significant decline in the wellness of the patient. Because the symptoms of mesothelioma are also shared with a large number of other lung diseases, it can take many years for doctor’s to determine that there is an internal disease causing them.

Images produced during testing, especially X-ray and Computed Tomography (CT) Scans may show signs of malignant pleural mesothelioma:

• Diffuse pleural thickening and abnormally thick pleura
• Tumors (clusters of cells that should be present on the lungs)
• Calcium deposits
• Fluid in the chest between the lungs and outer chest wall (known as pleural effusion)
• Asbestos related lung damage or scarring

CT Scan images will also assist in developing an appropriate course of treatment by providing detailed information about the cancerous cells in the chest cavity:

• Soft tissue composition
• Exact location and depth of cancer
• Stage of pleural mesothelioma (spread and occupation of chest cavity)

Other imaging methods include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and positron emission tomography (PET) scans are often employed during malignant pleural mesothelioma maintenance, to detect increases and reductions in the size of tumors and cancer cells on and around the pleura.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Biopsies

A biopsy is the only accurate method by which the specific type of cancer can be diagnosed. Biopsy results will indicate whether a tumor is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A biopsy is a medical procedure in which a special doctor extracts samples of the suspect tissue for inspection under a microscope.

A specialist, known as a histologist, analyzes the tissue to search for specific cell types. In cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma, the tissues are examined in a pathology lab to confirm (or deny) the presence of epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells. Malignant pleural mesothelioma may contain one or both of these cell types.