Mesothelioma Diagnosis

As mentioned in other pages, mesothelioma can be missed because its early symptoms can resemble other illnesses such as pneumonia. Thus, a biopsy is generally required to diagnose mesothelioma. Remember, mesothelioma or asbestos cancer is a type of lung cancer, so a doctor should be seen if an individual has

• shortness of breath
• pain in the chest
• pain or swelling in the abdomen
• a new cough
• a bloody cough or a change in an existing cough
• pneumonia
• rib, shoulder or bone pain
• hoarseness
• loss of appetite and weight
• facial swelling
• headaches

If there are symptoms, the doctor may order an x-ray of the chest or abdomen as so:

To obtain the final diagnosis, the patient might undergo:

• Chest X-ray and CT scan. The X-ray gives a good picture of the chest cavity, but a CT scan is also done because it shows the lung mass, lymph nodes and the rest of the chest cavity in greater detail. These help evaluate the extent of a lung mass and suggest the likelihood of cancer, but they do not confirm the diagnosis of lung cancer. Confirmation requires a biopsy.

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test. This tool may be part of the evaluation for a lung mass; however, it does not visualize the lung well.

• PET (positron emission tomography) scan. This relatively new nuclear medicine technique may be helpful in evaluating and staging a lung mass. If a lung mass "lights up" on the PET scan, it usually indicates lung cancer. If the mass does not light up, cancer is not likely to be present. The test also evaluates the entire body to determine whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes or other areas of the body.

Additionally, the doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope. A cut will be made through the chest wall and the thoracoscope will be put into the chest between two ribs. This test, called thoracoscopy, is usually done in the hospital. If tissue that is not normal is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece (that's the biopsy) and have it looked at under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells.

If malignant mesothelima is diagnosed, most likely it will be one of two varieties:

Localized malignant mesothelioma:

• Stage I: The cancer is found in the lining of the chest cavity near the lung and heart or in the diaphragm or the lung.

Advanced malignant mesothelioma:

• Stage II: The cancer has spread beyond the lining of the chest to lymph nodes in the chest.
• Stage III: Cancer has spread into the chest wall, center of the chest, heart, through the diaphragm, or abdominal lining, and in some cases into nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage IV: Cancer has spread to distant organs or tissues.

More online resources for mesothelioma diagnosis can be found at:

Current Therapy for Mesothelioma

The role of Immunohistochemistry in the Differential Diagnosis of Soft-tissue Tumors

Malignant transformation of a well-differentiated peritoneal papillary mesothelioma

Malignant transformation of "benign" cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum

Diagnosing Lung Cancer

Diagnosing the lung cancer of mesothelioma is one thing. What are the treatment options? It's time now for:

Next > Chapter 5 - Mesothelioma Treatment