Cancer is an extremely debilitating disease that uses the body’s own defense system against it. Asbestos cancers including mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma present several symptoms that may originate in the lungs.

Cancer is a debilitating disease that hits different people in various ways depending on lifestyle, and personal physical stamina. There are over 200 different types of cancer. As these cancers affect many different areas of the bodies there is no one symptom that is immediately indicative of a specific type of cancer.

Asbestos cancer symptoms often reflect respiratory problems. Since asbestos fibers are inhaled, and asbestos cancers such as mesothelioma affect lung cells first.

Everyone reacts to asbestos cancer in its own way, but some general symptoms of mesothelioma include:

• Coughing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Fluid in the chest, lungs, or abdomen
• Husky voice
• Loss of appetite
• Pain in chest or abdomen
• Sleeplessness or insomnia
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Weight loss

Pericardial Mesothelioma may also present the following symptoms:

• Chest pain, ranging from uncomfortable to severe
• Extreme fatigue after minimal activity or exertion
• Heart palpitations
• Persistent coughing
• Shortness of breath

Furthermore, symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma also include:

• Abdominal pain, acute to severe
• Swelling of the abdominal region due to fluid accumulation
• Breathing difficulties
• Loss of appetite resulting in weight loss
• Bowel obstruction
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Fever
• Anemia

These symptoms are in no way set in stone, and they can also be the physical evidence of many diseases that are no necessarily asbestos-related. The only way to truly diagnose a disease is to visit a trained medical professional.

For more information about asbestos cancer symptoms, the National Cancer Institute offers some helpful information here.