What are some challenges of diagnosing mesotheliomas?
Likely the greatest challenge is the long latency period, from time of exposure to start of symptoms. Symptoms may develop anywhere from 20 to 50 years after exposure. Another challenge is the fact that even small or indirect exposures to asbestos can cause a mesothelioma and an individual may not report a history of exposure. An example of this may be a man that works around asbestos and his wife that shakes the dust off of his clothing before laundering. The wife may not report asbestos exposure. Further making the diagnosis difficult is the presenting symptoms are often much like the symptom of multiple other illnesses. For example, some symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may be shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing and hoarsness. These symptoms may also be present with bronchitis, myocardial infarction, laryngitis, pneumonia and a number of other common conditions.