How to diagnose mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a two-layer coating that surrounds internal organs in the chest and abdomen. It acts as a lubricant wall, and institutions in motion with minimum hassle. How does this cancer occur? The most common cause is the exposure to asbestos. You may have seen this in 60 minutes and other TV programs.

One of the biggest problem of mesothelioma is treatment. It is a bad form of cancer for two reasons. The first is the period of latency. 50 years may elapse before it begins to cause symptoms. At this stage it is often too late to do something. The second reason is that it is difficult to diagnose, the symptoms are similar to those of many other health problems and are less dramatic. In many cases, the disease is in fact initially diagnosed as something else. Only when the treatment options do not work, an accurate diagnosis was made.

So how do you diagnose mesothelioma? It usually starts with a chest radiograph. Lung function tests are then performed. No blood, because this form of cancer has no biomarkers. According to the result, the doctor may then also request a magnetic resonance imaging of an area of the body. Mesothelioma is difficult to find.

If there's a suspicious of mesothelioma, a biopsy will be ordered. There are different types of biopsies for different areas. The area in question is viewed and small samples will be taken. Samples will be sent to patholoist. Laboratory tests if cancer cells are present or not. Biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing mesothelioma.