around the lungs and is inside the chest. Whenever doctors refer to
"pleural" or "pleura" this is the area they are talking about. Pleural
mesothelioma symptoms are similar to many other pleural diseases and
cancers. Pleural disease is often one of the early mesothelioma stages
of pleural mesothelioma.
Pleural mesothelioma and pleural diseases begin by attacking this
membrane, which makes it more difficult to breathe. Chest pain is a
very common mesothelioma symptom; however it is also a symptom of many
pleural diseases, including pleural mesothelioma. Both benign (not
progressing) and malignant (progressing and getting worse) pleural
diseases and pleural mesothelioma will produce symptoms of chest pain
and shortness of breath. This is because the natural fluid that flows
between the outer shell of your lung and the membrane over it (the
parietal pleura) gets interrupted.
The fluid in this "pleura space" keeps your lungs breathing smooth and
rhythmically when it's flowing peacefully. It revolves in a continuous
state of production and removal. When asbestos enters the lungs and
chest and mesothelioma symptoms begin, the balance disappears and
excess fluid accumulates. The fluidity of breathing disappears, and
the pleural disease begins making breathing difficult. When there is
excess fluid in the pleural space, it's called pleural effusion.
Pleural effusion can be one of the early mesothelioma stages, but if
you have pleural effusion, that does not mean you have pleural
mesothelioma.
Pleural diseases are not rare. If you've been exposed to asbestos,
statistics published in British medical journals show that there is
likely a 50% chance that you will have a pleural disease. Pleural
disease is also common in many cancers, including breast cancer and
lung cancer – it is not relegated to pleural mesothelioma or malignant
mesothelioma. Medical journals report that 40% of cancer patients
experience pleural effusion. In asbestos related pleural effusion,
pleural effusion is sometimes followed by one of the next mesothelioma
stages, diffuse pleural thickening.
Diffuse pleural thickening and pleural mesothelioma are not as common
as pleural effusion and pleural plaques. Pleural plaques can occur
from a brief exposure to asbestos, but may not be observed until 20
years later. Diffuse pleural thickening can be noticed anywhere from 3
years to 40 years after asbestos exposure, although it may occur as
soon as a year after asbestos exposure. Medical tests must be given to
determine the extent of the disease, and to monitor the progression
which would indicate the likelihood of pleural mesothelioma or other
malignant mesothelioma. For malignant pleural mesothelioma, the
disease could be latent for 40 years or more. But pleural effusion is
often diagnosed first, and can sometimes be noticed as early as a year
after asbestos exposure. The degree of calcification (similar to a
hardening) often determines how early the pleural disease can be
identified. However, the stages of pleural calcification and
mesothelioma stages of malignant mesothelioma will differ with each
individual.
Pleural mesothelioma or pleural disease is not unlikely if you've been
exposed to asbestos. If you've been exposed to asbestos, even for
short time, and are having chest pain, it is important to start with
chest x-rays to be able to monitor the progression of the disease.
Medical tests for pleural diseases and pleural mesothelioma have the
potential to halt the progression of malignant pleural mesothelioma as
best as today's medical discoveries allow. Early mesothelioma
treatment lengthens mesothelioma life expectancy. Medical tests for
pleural mesothelioma should start with any signs of pleural disease.
Your doctor must know you've been exposed to asbestos. Find a
pulmonologist or oncologist who is familiar with asbestos pleural
diseases such as pleural mesothelioma and get the early mesothelioma
treatment that you and your family deserve.
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