Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Less common than the pleural form, peritoneal mesothelioma is a abdominal cavity lining cancer and comprises about one quarter of the mesothelioma cases that are diagnosed. The symptoms peritoneal mesothelioma apper in about 20-30 years after exposure rather than the 30-40 years seen with pleural mesothelioma.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Symptoms
Symptoms of this disease include abdominal pain, abdominal mass, increased abdominal girth, distention of the abdomen, fluid buildup in the abdomen, fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia and digestive disturbances. It is not uncommon that peritoneal mesothelioma is found when the patient is seen for another health problem such as hernia, gallbladder, or a pelvic mass.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma can be be a bitch, since there are two types of peritoneal mesothelioma, “dry” or “wet” it can be difficult to figure out what it is. For the dry type imaging may show a number of small masses or a single large tumor and no fluid buildup. In the “wet” type, CT may reveal many small nodules but no primary mass and there is usually fluid buildup present.
