Not all mesothelioma symptoms are confined to the site where the
cancer originates. The symptoms that are most closely related to local
invasion include:
Localized spread to the lymph nodes is most common and occurs in approximately 44% percent of cases.
- Dysphagia (coughing/spitting up blood)
- Horner's syndrome (or other neurological syndromes)
- Laryngeal nerve palsy
- Nerve involvement of the arm
Paraplegia can occur if the cancer spreads to the spinal canal. Metastatic mesothelioma
can also obstruct the superior vena cava. Hypoglycemia has also been
reported as a clinical feature of invasive mesothelioma, yet this
primarily occurs in patients with rare localized fibrous mesothelioma.
Clubbing of the fingers and hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy
(HPOA) are even rarer but occur in a handful of malignant mesothelioma
cases, primarily when asbestosis is also present.
