Mesothelioma Diagnosis- a Herculean Task?

Mesothelioma is the cancer of mesothelium, the covering of the internal organs of the body. The mesothelioma diagnosis is in fact not that easy. The reason is that there are no symptoms that are specific only to mesothelioma. The mesothelioma symptoms are similar to the ones that are noticed in many disease conditions, which make mesothelioma diagnosis difficult.

The doctor must start with the history of the patients. In case the exposure to the asbestos was recorded at the time of history taking, then there is a good chance for the presence of mesothelioma. Physical examination will be performed after history taking. This will be followed by lung function test and x- ray of the chest.

Other commonly used diagnostic procedures for Mesothelioma include CT scan , MRI scan, biopsy test, thoracoscopy, and laparoscopy. Once Mesothelioma is diagnosed, immediately treatment procedures should be started ASAP to contain the spread of the disease.