Symptoms and Diagnosis of Mesothelioma

The strange thing about Mesothelioma symptoms is the fact that they may not show up in an individual until 30+ years have gone by after being exposed to asbestos. This means that a lot of the factory workers that worked with asbestos, along with anyone else in the industry, may have been exposed a long time ago, but are just now starting to experience the symptoms of Mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma are sometimes hard to differentiate from other illnesses, and there are actually many different forms of Mesothelioma. Here are some tell tale signs that may indicate Mesothelioma (especially if you’ve worked with or knew someone who worked with asbestos years ago):

1. Shortness of breath
2. Chest pain
3. Weight loss
4. Abdominal pain
5. Abdominal swelling
6. Bowel obstruction
7. Anemia
8. Fever
9. Swelling of the neck and/or face

Again, these symptoms often are the result of other, less serious symptoms, but if you fit the profile of having Mesothelioma, you should check with your doctor as soon as possible to get a proper and qualified diagnosis.

Diagnosing Mesothelioma

As stated above, many of the symptoms of Mesothelioma can also be the results of less serious conditions, which make it difficult to diagnose a true case of Mesothelioma. The first thing a doctor will examine is the medical history, and also if the patient has had any exposure to Mesothelioma in the past. Diagnosis will most likely include CT scans, MRI’s, and most definitely x-rays of the patient. Combining all of these methods could help give a doctor a good overview and makeup of the patient’s body, and can help in determining if Mesothelioma could be the reason behind the symptoms.

On the other hand, if the doctor thinks it may be a case of Mesothelioma, a biopsy would be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. In that case, a qualified oncologist or surgeon would take a sample of tissue to be examined under a microscope usually by a Pathologist. The biopsy could possibly done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located in the body. For instance, if it was located in the chest, then the doctor might perform a thoracoscopy, in which he would make a small incision in the chest wall and put a thoracoscope (a thin, lighted tube) between the two ribs in the person’s chest. This would allow them to get a better look inside the chest area and make it easier to get good samples. There are a few other procedures the doctors may perform, again, depending on location, but if those procedures aren’t enough for a good tissue sample, then more in depth surgery may be required.

Assuming the patient is diagnosed with Mesothelioma, the first thing the doctor would want to find out is what stage the cancer is in. This, of course, means more tests to find out if the cancer has spread anywhere else in the body, and if it has, to what extent and where. Successfully finding out which stage it’s in will help the doctor create a plan of treatment for the patient.

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