Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma



Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma 

 A physical exam and patient history will likely be your doctor's first step in diagnosing pleural mesothelioma. Past exposure to asbestos is a strong risk factor for pleural mesothelioma and the longer and more seriously you were exposed to asbestos, the greater your risk. If your doctor does not ask about your work history and potential mesothelioma risk factors, let him or her know about your asbestos exposure. The next step is usually an x-ray of the chest. Pleural effusions, masses, and scarring may be seen on x-rays. 
Because x-rays are less sensitive than newer imaging techniques, an abnormal finding on an x-ray will likely prompt your physician to order further imaging through a CT or CAT scan or MRI. This will likely provide a better idea of the size, location, and invasiveness of the mass, but not a definitive diagnosis, nor a complete picture of if the mesothelioma has metastized into the lymph system. Once a suspicious mass or fluid has been spotted, your doctor will probably order a thoracentesis and/or biopsy be performed. 

 Thoracentesis is a minimilarly invasive procedure where fluid is removed from the pleural space. As many as 95% of patients with pleural mesothelioma have pleural effusions, or excess fluid collection in the pleural space. 
Thoracentesis (or thoracocentesis) is generally an outpatient procedure and usually requires only local anesthestic. A hollow needle or catheter is interted into the chest to drain the accumuated fluid. Generally the first biopsy, or tissue collection, performed is a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. 

Using a thin, hollow needle, cells from the suspcious mass are extracted. Like the thoracentesis, it is not as invasive as many surgical procedures and can help avoid the need for diagnostic surgery. The collected fluid and/or biopsy tissue will then be sent for analysis by pathologist and/or cytologists. 

These specialists will look for signs of cancerous cells in the samples. Immunohistochemistry is the chemical staining of these samples to better identify abnormal cells. "Immunos," as these tests are sometimes called, are an important form of testing and are usually recommended. 

 If a definitive diagnosis has still not been reached, more invasive testing may be required. Your doctor may perform a thoracoscopy; this involves inserting a lighted scope, sometimes with a camera on it, into the chest for a closer look. If suspicious masses are seen, the doctor may cut out a sample of tissue to be examined for maligant cells.

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Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma



Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may include, but are not limited to:
  • Breathlessness (dyspnea)
Along with shortness of breath, patients may suffer from a cough. Rarely, patients may develop hoarsness or cough up blood (hemoptysis).Asbestos-and-law.
  • Chest pain
Chest pain is often nonspecific, and may sometimes be felt in upper abdomen, shoulder, or arm. Chest pain and breathlessness are the most common, and usually earliest presenting, symptoms of pleural mesothelioma
  • Weight Loss
Unexplained weight loss is cited as a symptom in about a third of pleural mesothelioma cases. Leek-caserole-tave-me-presh.
  • Pleural effusion
A pleural effusion is the result of too much fluid building up between the parietal and visceral pleura (linings of the chest and lungs, respectively); a pleural effusion may cause chest pain and difficulty breathing (dyspnea), however, many cause no symptoms and are first discovered during the physical examination or seen on a chest x-ray.
  • Night sweats
Less common, but still cited enough to be considerd a symptom of pleural mesothelioma are fever, chills, and night sweats.Amish-friendship-banana-nut-bread.

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