Most people who think of mesothelioma, will picture an elderly person and not a child. But did you know that children can also suffer from mesothelioma cancer? Mesothelioma and children, can they become the sufferers too? In some instances, children that have been exposed to asbestos can also develop mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis in Children

Mesothelioma in children is very difficult to diagnose. This is because doctors usually do not diagnose children with mesothelioma because it is a rare disease in kids. But unlike adults, cancer doctors are not certain what cause mesothelioma in small children. Adults that are diagnosed with mesothelioma usually have a long history of asbestos exposure, either from having worked on job sites or from second hand exposure, but with children, it still not known.

Causes of Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma cancer is often caused by asbestos exposure in adults. It takes many years before the cancer is detected because the asbestos particles that enter the body remain embedded in the pleura of the lung for decades before being discovered and before symptoms appear. Children, on the other hand,do not live that long.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma often Found in Children

The latency period before mesothelioma symptoms in adults is detected can take decades. But with small children, that is not the case. Studies have shown that mesothelioma, in some children, was found in the abdominal cavity lining, whereas with adults, this cancer is found in the lining of the lung known as pleural mesothelioma. Doctors have discovered that in most cases, children develop peritoneal mesothelioma cancer and adults develop pleural mesothelioma.

Diagnosing and Treating Peritoneal Mesothelioma in Children

Treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma in children is still new. There is not enough research on peritoneal mesothelioma in children to assist doctors in treating and diagnosing this rare but deadly disease. This is why treating mesothelioma in children is a challenge for doctors. Because this is a rare disease in children, there are no specific therapies or mesothelioma treatments that exist specifically to treat children that are suffering from this deadly cancer. However, similar treatments for adults are tried with children, but the prognosis is still very poor.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma in Children

Studies have shown that children that are diagnosed with mesothelioma showed similar symptoms to that of adults. Some common symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty breathing
• Dry, persistent coughing
• Coughing up of blood
• Abdomen pain caused by excessive fluid
• Chest pain
• Weight loss
• Husky voice
• Difficulty swallowing
• Fever
• Anemia
• Bowel obstruction
• Inability to sleep
• Loss of appetite

Since the majority of these mesothelioma symptoms are general symptoms of common viral diseases, it is very difficult to detect mesothelioma. It is important to discuss mesothelioma with your doctor so that the proper diagnosis can be made, especially in children because it is rare and very difficult to diagnose.