Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which affects the mesothelium. Pleural, peritoneal and pericardial are the three forms of mesothelioma. It is a serious form of cancer and occurs due to asbestos exposure for a prolonged period of time. Mesothelioma symptom appears after many years of being infected. Most of the mesothelioma deaths occur since the infection is diagnosed at developed stages of the disease.

Only an experienced medical practitioner can detect the exact type of cancer, since the symptoms for all three types are mostly similar. Wrong diagnosis often proves fatal as it further delays the treatment. Shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, hoarseness, building up of extra fluid between the pleura, pain in chest, abdomen, shoulder or arm, tiredness, fever, loss of weight and appetite are the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

However, symptoms may vary from patient to patient and according to the severity of the sickness. Shortness of breath and chest pain are experienced by around 90% of all patients, pleural effusion is witnessed in 84% while weight loss is observed in fewer than thirty percent of patients only. Around 3% patients remain asymptomatic.

Severe weight loss, difficulty in bowel movements, swelling in abdomen, high fever etc are the symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma. In this case also there may be a few patients who do not experience symptoms, but some may suffer from additional mesothelioma symptom. Chest pain, continuous cough, tiredness without physical exertion etc are the common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma.

Identifying the symptoms and understanding it in the real perspective is the primary step for deciding up on a suitable treatment strategy. Since mesothelioma symptom usually appears once the person has passed his youthful stage, it can prove a serious hurdle in the way of a cure. The physician should identify the type and stage of cancer properly and the treatment procedure should be started in earnest. Surgery can be used to remove the tumor if it is confined to a particular region. Advanced stages may require chemotherapy and radiation, though results are not always positive. If it is found that the patient does not respond to the treatment positively, then palliative treatment is done. Here the symptoms are treated, not the cause.

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