Symptoms of Stage 4 Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer caused by asbestos and it develops in the abdomen, in the linings of the lungs or heart. This disease has no cure and cannot be diagnosed easily. This type of cancer is generally caused when one is exposed to asbestos. The symptoms of Mesothelioma take about 20 to 50 years to get exposed.

The disease passes through four stages and gradually it become more severe. When the disease gets into the advanced stages, new symptoms start appearing which may either be very mild or nonexistent. It becomes very difficult to diagnose. There are some stage four mesothelioma cancer symptoms which should be highlighted. The symptoms of stage 4 Mesothelioma cancer are that one may feel unwell or fatigue, the person will feel difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, one may feel tightness and pain in the chest, sweating at night and may have fever, the person will feel discomfort and have abdominal pain, there will be accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and in the chest, blood coughing and loss in weight due to unknown reason.

The treatment for stage 4 Mesothelioma is to focus on improving the patient’s comfort and to better the victim’s quality of life. The patient has to undergo chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. These treatments help the patient to manage suffering and pain but it cannot cure the disease. Medically this treatment is known as palliative care.

1. Surgery

By removing one or more tumors through surgery will help the patient to get some relieve but it cannot cure the disease. Thoracentesis helps in removing fluid and provides comfort to the patient.

2. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy assists in lessening pain but it is very risky to do at stage 4. After the tumors are removed, chemotherapy slows metastasis.

3. Radiation

In stage 4 Mesothelioma, radiation is generally not recommended. Radiation therapy helps in reducing the size of the tumor and it relieves pressure on the abdomen and chest.

Nowadays, doctors do some experimental therapies and clinical trials in addition to the usual therapies. These are gene therapy and immunotherapy.