Medical Health Issues

Health Issue: Mesothelioma

Diagnosis

How is Mesothelioma Diagnosed?

Mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed. Symptoms of mesothelioma include chest pain, chronic cough, effusions of the chest and abdomen, and the presence of blood in lung fluid.

Mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms of the disease closely resemble other respiratory conditions. The pathology can be very difficult to distinguish from adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Mesothelioma is diagnosed through a comprehensive combination of biopsy and imaging scans.

Diagnostic surgeries, including a biopsy, will typically be required to determine the type of malignant cells that are present in the body. Typically a body imaging scan, including an MRI, CT scan, and PET scan, will be required to determine the extent and location of the disease. A formal staging classification exists only for pleural mesothelioma because of how rare mesothelioma is.