Anyone who is exposed to large amounts of asbestos and inhales or swallows the fibers is at risk for mesothelioma as well as things like asbestosis, which is a type of disease caused by asbestos that has not progressed into asbestos cancer. But symptoms caused by mesothelioma may not show up for a decade or more. This is part of what allows the disease to be so quickly fatal in most cases. The earlier it's caught, the better the prognosis is. But because mesothelioma is often symptom-free until it has progressed to an irreversible point, the prognosis for most mesothelioma patients is very poor.

The diagnosis of the disease usually doesn't come until it's progressed far enough that the patient will live a year or less beyond it. The sooner a person with symptoms seeks help, the better. But most mesothelioma patients don't seek treatment until they've suffered symptoms for at least two or three months. Because the symptoms mimic things that we experience commonly with flu, colds and other minor illnesses, the disease is allowed to progress.

One of the most common symptoms is lower back pain or pain in the sides of the chest along with shortness of breath. Up to 60% of pleural mesothelioma sufferers have this symptom. And coughing that doesn't go away, fever which can be intermittent and a sense of fatigue are also common. Weight loss is typically one of the symptoms at this point. Some patients also have a hard time swallowing along with more severe symptoms like muscle weakness, hoarseness, swelling in the arms or face and sometimes a lessened sense of taste or smell. Coughing up blood is also a symptom that many people experience, usually after they've suffered the more minor symptoms for a while. Stomach pain, vomiting, nausea and quick weight loss can be signs of peritoneal mesothelioma, which is cancer of the lining of the abdomen rather than the lining of the lung.

Diagnosis of mesothelioma typically starts with a medical history to determine when asbestos exposure might have occurred. It's most common among people who've worked in high exposure industries so that would be a warning sign to the physician to look for mesothelioma. If pleural mesothelioma, which is cancer of the lining of the lung, is suspected, then the doctor will look for fluid in the chest. The other forms of mesothelioma are peritoneal which is in the abdomen lining and pericardial which is in the heart lining. Fluid will be looked for in each of those places if those types of cancer are suspected.