Mesothelioma

One of the most common types of mesothelioma is malignant pleural mesothelioma, which often originates within the chest cavity and can, at times, involve the lungs as well. This form of mesothelioma can spread to numerous organs in the body, even the brain, and tends to do so more frequently.

Pleural mesothelioma is not always an easy thing to find. Frequently, in the early stages of the disease, symptoms may be mild. Patients usually report pain in one area of the chest that never seems to go away, weight loss and fever. Occasionally, other symptoms can be more severe and include problems with breathing due to fluid build up in the chest. A CT Scan of the chest area has proven to be the best test for identifying how far along the disease has progressed.

Frequently serum markers are used to diagnose of various forms of cancer. Mesothelioma cannot be diagnosed using this method because no serum markers currently exist. If high levels of hyaluronic acid are present it may be possible to distinguish mesothelioma from other types of cancer or to determine the effectiveness of a treatment protocol.

The survival rate for patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma typically is not high. Patients typically do not live beyond seventeen months from the onset of symptoms. Only 8% of people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma will live three to five years from the onslaught of symptoms.