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Diagnosing Mesothelioma - Diagnosing mesothelioma is difficult because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical examination may be performed, including x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may also be used for a more detailed look.
Diagnosis of mesothelioma is often obtained with assessment of clinical and radiological findings and a biopsy is needed to confirm diagnosis of mesothelioma. Depending on where the abnormality exists a biopsy will be done in different ways. For pleural mesothelioma a thoracoscopy may be performed where the doctor looks inside the chest cavity with an instrument called a thoracoscope that is put into the chest between two ribs. The thoracoscope allows the doctor to gather tissue samples and look inside the chest. For cancer in the abdomen, peritoneal mesothelioma, the doctor may perform a peritoneoscopy where a small opening is
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made in the abdomen and an instrument called a peritoneoscope is inserted in the abdomen cavity to collect tissue.
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If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. Staging involves more tests in a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease is very important because this helps the doctor plan a treatment.
Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs. For more detailed information on the stages (extent) of mesothelioma
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If you have worked with or had contact with asbestos at any time in your life, it is important that you let your doctor know. Please remember, diseases from asbestos exposure take a long time to develop. Most cases of lung cancer or asbestosis in asbestos workers occur 15 or more years after initial exposure to asbestos. Tobacco smokers who have been exposed to asbestos have a far greater risk for developing lung cancer than do nonsmokers who have been exposed. The time between diagnosis of mesothelioma and the time of initial occupational exposure to asbestos commonly has been 30 years or more. Cases of mesotheliomas have been reported after household exposure of family members of asbestos workers and in individuals without occupational exposure who live close to asbestos mines.
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