Pleural mesothelioma starts in the lungs.  The pleura is a membrane around the lungs andis inside the chest.  Whenever doctorsrefer to ?pleural? or ?pleura? this is the area they are talking about.  Pleural mesothelioma symptoms are similar tomany other pleural diseases and cancers. Pleural disease is often one of theearly mesothelioma stages of pleural mesothelioma. 

 

Pleural mesothelioma and pleural diseases begin by attackingthis 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 pleuralmesothelioma.  Both benign (notprogressing) and malignant (progressing and getting worse) pleural diseases andpleural mesothelioma will produce symptoms of chest pain and shortness ofbreath.  This is because the naturalfluid 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 breathingsmooth and rhythmically when it's flowing peacefully.  It revolves in a continuous state ofproduction and removal. When asbestos enters the lungs and chest andmesothelioma symptoms begin, the balance disappears and excess fluidaccumulates.  The fluidity of breathingdisappears, and the pleural disease begins making breathing difficult.   When there is excess fluid in the pleuralspace, it's called pleural effusion. Pleural effusion can be one of the early mesothelioma stages, but if youhave 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 a50% chance that you will have a pleural disease.  Pleural disease is also common in manycancers, including breast cancer and lung cancer ? it is not relegated topleural mesothelioma or malignant mesothelioma. Medical journals report that 40% of cancer patients experience pleuraleffusion.  In asbestos related pleuraleffusion, pleural effusion is sometimes followed by one of the nextmesothelioma stages, diffuse pleural thickening.   

 

Diffuse pleural thickening and pleural mesothelioma are notas common as pleural effusion and pleural plaques. Pleural plaques can occurfrom a brief exposure to asbestos, but may not be observed until 20 yearslater. Diffuse pleural thickening can be noticed anywhere from 3 years to 40years after asbestos exposure, although it may occur as soon as a year after asbestosexposure.   Medical tests must be given to determine theextent of the disease, and to monitor the progression which would indicate thelikelihood of pleural mesothelioma or other malignant mesothelioma.  For malignant pleural mesothelioma, thedisease could be latent for 40 years or more. But pleural effusion is often diagnosed first, and can sometimes benoticed 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 calcificationand mesothelioma stages of malignant mesothelioma will differ with eachindividual.   

 

Pleural mesothelioma or pleural disease is not unlikely ifyou've been exposed to asbestos.  Ifyou've been exposed to asbestos, even for short time, and are having chestpain, it is important to start with chest x-rays to be able to monitor theprogression of the disease. Medical tests for pleural diseases and pleuralmesothelioma have the potential to halt the progression of malignant pleuralmesothelioma as best as today's medical discoveries allow.   Early mesothelioma treatment lengthensmesothelioma life expectancy. Medical tests for pleural mesothelioma should startwith any signs of pleural disease.  Yourdoctor must know you've been exposed to asbestos. Find a pulmonologist oroncologist who is familiar with asbestos pleural diseases such as pleuralmesothelioma and get the early mesothelioma treatment that you and your familydeserve.