Malignant mesothelioma is often discussed among cancer specialists as difficult to diagnose. What this likely refers to is the unfortunate fact that mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose early. In most cases, discovery of the disease is purely incidental, as it is often found while treating the patient for another condition. Because most cases are affect the respiratory system and upper chest cavity, a typical discovery would happen during a chest scan.
A chest X-ray will be able to detect a foreign growth within the chest cavity. However, a chest X-ray alone will not be significant evidence to automatically diagnose a patient with mesothelioma. Often, one of the first things to appear in cases of mesothelioma will be a pleural effusion, which is a fluid buildup within the outer casings of the lung. Again, while this is strongly suggestive of asbestos related illness, other conditions cannot be ruled out at this point.
Often, upon discovering a foreign growth in the region, a physician will suggest that the patient obtain a magnetic resonance image (MRI) or computer topography (CT) scan. These will help the cancer specialist or physician better understand the nature of the growth. If the MRI or CT scan confirms the suspicion of cancer, a biopsy will likely be performed to validate this.
A biopsy is, in fact, a small surgical procedure in which the physician will extract a small amount of tissue from the affected region for laboratory testing. These can sound uncomfortable, but a local anesthetic will be administered to eliminate any pain. After the sample is obtained, an experienced oncologist will examine the material beneath a microscope to determine the presence of a malignant cancer.
The good news is that if the patient is lucky enough to have the cancer discovered relatively quickly, there will be a great deal more mesothelioma treatment options available to them. Mesothelioma, when discovered in an early stage, has successfully been operated on and greatly slowed recurrence while extending prognoses. However, because of the lack of symptoms associated with mesothelioma, oftentimes patients are not diagnosed until the cancer is deemed to be inoperable. At this stage, it is likely the physician will recommend proceeding with another form of treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In any event, the patient, physician, and family will ultimately decided which treatment route is best for them and their particular circumstances.