Mesothelioma Tests And
Diagnosis Information
Mesothelioma Tests And Diagnosis
Information
There are several tests that doctors can run
to determine if a patient has a mesothelioma diagnosis. These
mesothelioma tests vary in terms of intrusion into the body and accuracy. A time
line for testing a person suspected of having mesothelioma is as follows:
When a patient first presents at the doctors
office complaining of difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, or pneumonia types
symptoms, the primary care physician will take an X-ray or CT scan to determine
the presence of asbestos in or around the lungs, heart or stomach.
Once the detection of asbestos is noted, the
doctor will look for tell tale signs of cancer including but not limited to the
presence of tumors around the vital organs. If tumors or growths are detected,
the primary care physician will typically refer the patient to a specialist for
various tests to determine whether there is a mesothelioma diagnosis.
A mesothelioma diagnosis is generally tested
for in one of two ways. Depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor
may want to do a minimally intrusive procedure called a needle biopsy. The
procedure allows the doctor to abstract cells suspected of cancer infection from
the lining affected area. The doctor can run tests on the mesothelial
cells to determine the proper diagnosis for the patient. There are several ways
in which the doctor can perform a tissue biopsy in order to run tests for
mesothelioma. A thoracoscopy or laparoscopy entails making a small
incision and using a tiny camera to look at the affected area. At this time a
small tissue sample can be taken. The tissue samples will be sent away to a
pathologists for further tests. Your doctor may decide to do a needle biopsy,
where a hollow needle is inserted through the skin and into the chest cavity.
However, needle biopsies can be less than precise.
The second more common way that doctors test
for mesothelioma is to surgically enter the patients body, at which time
they cut a small piece of infected tissue for biopsy purposes. This test is
known as an "open biopsy". The abstracted tissue is then sent out for testing by
a specialist. This process generally takes several days. If this test reveals
the presence of mesothelioma the doctor will determine whether the
diagnosed mesothelioma is benign or malignant.
If the doctor determines that the
mesothelioma diagnosis is malignant, they will likely refer the patient to an
oncologist (cancer doctor) for further tests and treatment.
The oncologist will test the patient to
determine the progression of the mesothelioma and the prognosis for the
future. At this time the oncologist will decide what treatment option is best
for the patient.
Generally, the oncologist will start the
patient on a series of chemotherapy treatments to slow the growth of the
mesothelioma. If the doctor determines, after running tests, that the
patient is not a candidate for chemotherapy, the oncologists may prescribe
medication to help the patient with pain management.