clinical features
Last reviewed 11/2023
Clinical features of pleural mesothelioma include:
- chest pain:
- pleuritic, or
- persistent and dull
- progressive shortness of breath due to pleural thickening and development of pleural effusion
- in severe cases the lung is encased
- there may be bilateral disease
- there is no lung invasion
- the hilar lymph nodes are enlarged in 20% of cases
- finger clubbing is clubbing is relatively unusual
- fatigue, profuse sweating, weight loss, anorexia and difficulty in swallowing become common as the disease progresses
- presentation and diagnosis often occur at an advanced stage and the prognosis for most patients is extremely poor