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Mesothelioma and Nephrotic Pneumonia
Mesothelioma is a condition that affects the lungs and that can produce symptoms similar to pneumonia during its early stages. During the later stages of disease management, sufferers will likely have an increased risk of acquiring pneumonia and other infection-related conditions.
The cancer known as mesothelioma commonly originates in the pleural lining tissues that surround the lungs. Around 75% to 80% of mesothelioma cases start forming in the pleura, whereas only 10% to 20% originate in the stomach lining known as the peritoneum[1]. Other, more rare forms of mesothelioma can affect the lining around the heart or the male testes.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma can have a broad range of generalized symptoms similar to other respiratory conditions. Such symptoms can include difficulty breathing, a dry cough, pain while coughing or gasping, unexplained weight loss, and the sensation of lumps or pressure between the rib cage and the chest[2].
Many other medical conditions can exhibit similar symptoms to malignant mesothelioma, including pneumonia. Pneumonia refers to swelling of the lungs’ air sac tissues, typically in relation to an infection[3]. Common symptoms include a cough, shortness of breath, nausea, fever, fatigue, pain while coughing or gasping, vomiting, diarrhea, and in older adults confusion or a lower-than usual body temperature.
Because of the similarity between symptoms of pneumonia and symptoms of mesothelioma, many doctors will accidentally misdiagnose mesothelioma as pneumonia[4]. This misdiagnosis is especially common if a chest X-ray reveals a pleural effusion, which can be visually confused with seeing fluid buildup within the lungs that is typical of pneumonia cases[5].
Diagnosing mesothelioma requires extensive testing, and some doctors may neglect to ask if someone presenting symptoms has a history of asbestos exposure. Physicians who handle regular diagnostic duties can tend to overlook more difficult-to-diagnose conditions like mesothelioma in favor of something more commonly seen and especially conditions that are easier to treat[6].
Getting a proper diagnosis can be even more difficult given that some presentations of malignant mesothelioma can thwart common diagnostic measures and masquerade long-term as another disease, such as interstitial lung disease related to recurring pneumonia[7].
Also of note is the fact that advanced sufferers of malignant pleural mesothelioma can, in fact, acquire pneumonia as a result of their compromised immune system and lung tissues. Patients who have undergone surgery to remove their growths have up to a 2% chance of fatal complications related to pneumonia[8].
Anyone with a history of asbestos exposure should be cautious about the possibility of having developed pleural mesothelioma should they present symptoms related to pneumonia or other common lung conditions. A thorough diagnosis that includes the patient history and imaging tests should be undergone.
Additionally, those with a known pleural mesothelioma diagnosis should be cautious about the possibility of acquiring pneumonia as a result of a compromised system or complications from common cancer treatments.
[1] https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/mesothelioma/introduction
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mesothelioma/symptoms-causes/syc-20375022
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354204
[4] http://blog.johnsonmemorial.org/the-facts-about-pleural-mesothelioma
[5] https://nyulangone.org/conditions/malignant-mesothelioma/types
[6] https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1101/p1042.html
[7] https://mayoclinic.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/diffuse-intrapulmonary-malignant-mesothelioma-masquerading-as-int-2
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5497107/
