Mesothelioma Diagnosis

A diagnosis of mesothelioma usually takes three to six months from a patient's first visit to the doctor. There are many steps involved in the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

The first step is a complete medical history followed by a thorough list of patient symptoms. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have had exposure to asbestos, no matter how minor the exposure. The next step is a thorough physical examination followed by additional testing, if needed.

The diagnosis of mesothelioma must be established by biopsy of affected or suspicious tissues and by definitive microscopic examination by a trained pathologist. Biopsy almost always requires an invasive procedure such as thoracoscopy and pleural biopsy, laparotomy, or laparoscopy. The removed tissues may be treated with special biological or chemical stains that are used to help the pathologist establish a firm diagnosis. The pathologist usually also comments upon the rate of growth and biological virulence of the tumor.

The tumor must be staged if possible by X-ray, CAT scan, MRI, PET scan, or other types of scans to clarify its location within the body and to estimate the likelihood of effective curative or palliative therapy. Staging of mesothelioma by X-ray measurements, however, is difficult and often unreliable.