Many of the first signs a patient with mesothelioma may have are non-specific. The early symptoms of this cancer are so general that hey can often be mistaken for the symptoms of other cancers or even other diseases than cancer. The early symptoms of this cancer can be so general that often it can cause for a proper diagnoses of this cancer to be delayed.

Confused Symptoms

Early symptoms of mesothelioma can include fever, night sweats and weight loss. Some of those who have this cancer may experience abdominal swelling, nausea, bowl obstruction, and swelling of the feet or other extremities. These symptoms can often be confused with many diseases other than mesothelioma. The misdiagnoses of mesothelioma determined by a patient having these symptoms can lead to a delay in the treatment of the cancer which can result in the rapid progression of the cancer and a shorter lifespan.

Pneumonia Misdiagnoses

Some patients who have mesothelioma may experience symptoms such as a shortness of breath or pain in the chest. These early symptoms of mesothelioma can be confused with viral pneumonia. These regularly misdiagnosed symptoms can include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. They can also include chest pain and a constant cough. Generally, when a patient shows these types of symptoms a chest x-ray will be done even in cases where the symptoms have been confused for viral pneumonia.

A chest x-ray done for patients who have symptoms resembling viral pneumonia can show a build up of fluid in the chest. The right lung of a patient is affected in more than half of the mesothelioma patients who have these symptoms. In less than 6% of cases, both of the lungs have been affected. Since these can be signs of viral pneumonia these x-rays can also make it hard for a proper cancer diagnoses to be made.

Other Misdiagnose Symptoms

Many times when mesothelioma patients experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, dry cough, and stabbing chest pain, this can mean that they have the type of mesothelioma referred to as pleura effusion. This is the type of mesothelioma which causes there to be a collected amount of fluid in the area if the pleura lining of the chest wall and the diaphragm.

Pleura effusion is one of the most common forms of mesothelioma. It is also one of the most commonly misdiagnosed forms of mesothelioma. This is because many physicians think that the symptoms are that of pneumonia or even different forms of cancer such as lung cancer. These misdiagnoses, much like the others, can cause valuable time to be lost that could be spent treating this disease or expanding the life span of the patient.

Finding a Proper Specialist

Anyone who suspects that they might have mesothelioma should try to seek out a specialist who knows how to properly deal with this cancer. This could save valuable time which can be spent planning a proper treatment regimen which could possibly add time to as patient’s life.