How is a person diagnosed with mesothelioma?

One reason why mesothelioma is such a dangerous form of cancer is because it is difficult to diagnose. Mesothelioma usually progresses to a dangerous stage by the time it is finally diagnosed. For these reasons it is incredibly important to see a doctor as soon as you experience any of the aforementioned symptoms.

It is essential that you give your doctor a complete medical history. Be sure to inform your doctor if you have been exposed to asbestos at work or through a family member. It is important to also tell your doctor when and for how long your exposure to asbestos occurred. Your medical history will help your doctor assess the risk factors associated with mesothelioma, as well as your symptoms.

A physical exam will provide your doctor with information about signs of mesothelioma and other health problems you may be experiencing. Patients with pleural mesothelioma often have fluid in their chest cavity, which is called pleural effusion. A physical exam can also detect the presence of ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. In patients with pericardial mesothelioma, pericardial effusion (fluid in the pericardium) can also be detected during a physical exam by a doctor.

After your medical history and physical exam, you should expect to undergo some medical tests. The tests performed by your doctor can range from basic imaging tests to tests of fluid and tissue samples.

The most basic test is a chest x-ray. The x-ray will show abnormalities involving the lungs, such as irregular thickening of the pleura, lowering of the space between the lungs, abnormal mineral deposits, and fluid build up inside of the lungs. A doctor will either take a CT scan (computed tomography scan) or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging scan) to try and determine the location, size and mass of a possible cancerous growth. The CT scan uses a rotating x-ray beam to create a series of pictures of the body from many different angles. A computer then combines these pictures to produce cross-sectional images of a part of the body. A doctor may need to inject a dye into a vein in order to highlight details on the CT scan. An MRI uses magnetic fields instead of x-rays to create its images. After the magnetic fields capture the information, a computer generates a detailed cross-sectional image.

If pleural mesothelioma is suspected, the doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope. A peritoneoscope can be used in a similar procedure to look at the abdomen. In this procedure the doctor is looking for abnormal cell growths, which will usually be referred to as tumors. The thoracoscope (telescope-like instrument connected to a video camera) is inserted through a small incision in the chest. The doctor can see the tumor through the thoracoscope, and can use special forceps to take a tissue biopsy.

After looking at the piece of the tumor under a microscope, the doctor may decide whether the tumor is benign, which means that it is not cancerous, or malignant, which means that it is cancerous.

If the doctor can't tell from the biopsy if the growth is cancerous, there are several other options. The doctor may take a sample of any fluid that has built up around the lungs, stomach or heart, or he may take a blood sample to see if your blood cell levels are what they are supposed to be.

In patients with a pleural effusion, a sample of this fluid can be removed by inserting a needle into the chest cavity. The fluid is then tested and its chemical make-up is then viewed under a microscope to determine whether cancer cells are present. A similar technique can also be used to obtain abdominal fluid and pericardial fluid.

It is often difficult to simply diagnose mesothelioma by looking at the cells from the fluid around the lungs, abdomen or heart. It is even hard to accurately diagnose mesothelioma solely with tissue from biopsies. Mesothelioma can look like several other types of cancer under a microscope. Special laboratory tests are often done to help distinguish mesothelioma from some other types of cancer. These tests often use special techniques to recognize certain markers (various types of chemicals) known to be present in mesotheliomas.

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