Symptoms of mesothelioma cancer are not being shown immediately after the body is infected with the disease, but mostly 20-40 years after that, due to the long "incubating" period of the disease.

Mesothelioma is sometimes diagnosed by coincidence, before there are any shown symptoms. For instance, tumors have been discovered through routine chest x-rays. However, when symptoms occur, they may include shortness of breath, weakness, loss of appetite, chest pains, lower back pains, persistent coughing, difficulty in swallowing, alone or in combination.

On the other hand, some patients that may not show any significant symptoms at all, and that is why it is so important for people which were exposed to asbestos, to have proper diagnostics.

An initial medical examination often shows a pleural effusion, which means an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space - the area between the lungs and the chest wall. The above mentioned coughing and chest pains are the results of this fluid accumulation in the pleural space.

Fluid build-up from the pleural effusion can generally be seen on a chest x-ray and heard during a physical examination, but a firm diagnosis of mesothelioma can only be made through a biopsy and pathological testing. This is important because there are also benign pleural effusions and other tumors that have a similar appearance to mesothelioma tumor. Diagnosing mesothelioma lung cancer can be quite difficult; it requires special lab stains, and much experience in understanding them.

Pleural mesothelioma starts in the chest cavity and can then spread to other parts of the body. People who suffer from this disease may also begin to display severe breathing difficulty, weight loss and fever as well as trouble swallowing and even swelling of the face and neck. Some patients may also develop a rasping voice and start coughing up blood.

The symptoms for patients who suffer from peritoneal mesothelioma are a sometimes different. This type of mesothelioma cancer starts in the abdomen and can spread form there. Patients of peritoneal mesothelioma can display abdominal pain and swelling, nausea, loss of appetite and vomiting. Some patients also experience breathing problems, and chest pain in addition to these symptoms. These symptoms result from tumours that lean against the abdominal wall. Bowel obstruction, anaemia, fever and problems with blood clotting may also affect peritoneal mesothelioma patients. 

The third form, and the most uncommon among mesotheliomas, pericardial mesothelioma, starts in the cavity surrounding the heart. With pericardial mesothelioma, the tumours grow in the tissues that surround the heart and can spread from there. Pericardial mesothelioma sufferers may experience chest pain, shortness of breath, persistent coughing and palpitations.

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