Mesothelioma

Diagnosing Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose. Your doctor will need your complete medical history to check for risk factors and symptoms. A physical exam will provide information about signs of mesothelioma and other health problems. Other diagnostic procedures include thoracentesis, which allows an examination of the fluid in the chest (pleural effusion).

Mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose. Your doctor will need your complete medical history to check for risk factors and symptoms. A physical exam will provide information about signs of mesothelioma and other health problems.

Chest x-rays may show abnormalities around or in the lungs as a result of asbestos exposure and may reveal a pleural effusion. A CT (computerized tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may also be useful in showing the loss of lung volume and help determine the location, size, and mass of a cancerous growth.

Other diagnostic procedures include thoracentesis, which allows an examination of the fluid in the chest (pleural effusion). In this procedure a doctor inserts a needle into the pleural space to drain fluid for analysis.

A biopsy is often needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. In a biopsy, a physician removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope. A biopsy may be done in different ways depending on where the abnormal area is located. At times, it may be necessary for your doctor to look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope to obtain a tissue sample. A laparoscope may be used to look inside the abdomen. If these procedures are inconclusive, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be needed.

Because the disease can be difficult to diagnose and treat, consultation with a doctor and treatment center with expertise and experience with mesothelioma is frequently recommended. 

Stages of Mesothelioma

Staging defines how far the cancer has spread from its original location to other parts of the body. Malignant mesothelioma moves through four stages, each one more serious than the next.

If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, your doctor will need to know the stage of your disease. Staging defines how far the cancer has spread from its original location to other parts of the body.

Staging can be clinical or pathological. Clinical staging relies on scanning tests and x-rays. Pathological staging refers to staging done at surgery.

Malignant mesothelioma moves through four stages, each one more serious than the next. The cancer is described as localized if it is found only on the lining surface where it originated. If the cancer has spread beyond the original site to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, chest wall, or abdominal organs, it is considered as advanced.

The stage of the cancer will determine treatment options and helps determine the prognosis of the disease. Pleural mesothelioma is the only mesothelioma that has a staging system. But the clinical staging systems are considered inadequate due to the way the disease spreads.

The staging systems used include:

• The Brigham System, the latest system, which stages mesothelioma according to the ability to surgically remove it and lymph node involvement.

• The Butchart Staging System, based upon how far the disease has spread to and invaded other organs.

• The TNM system, which considers variables of tumor mass and spread, involvement of lymph nodes, and metastasis.

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