Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma patients are typically diagnosed within three to six months of their first visit to a doctor with complaints about breathing problems or chest and abdominal pain. The first step in a mesothelioma diagnosis is providing a full and accurate medical history to your doctor, including details about current and past health concerns, as well as the types of symptoms you are currently experiencing.

It is important to mention any possible exposure to asbestos. Without revealing this fact, your doctor may not consider asbestos-related diseases in his or her examination. Next, patients will undergo a physical examination where a doctor will examine all causes for any types of symptoms being displayed. In most cases, the doctor's next step will be to recommend further testing
If your doctor suspects an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, the next step in receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis includes testing to confirm the presence of mesothelioma, determine the location, size and type of cancer involved, and determine whether the asbestos cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This will often involve imaging tests such as:

Chest X-ray

This is the most commonly used imaging test for the diagnosis of mesothelioma. Almost all diagnoses will involve an X-ray, but a more sophisticated imaging test will follow to further understand the shape and prevalence of the tumor(s).

CT Scan:

This is an X-ray-like procedure in which several X-ray pictures are taken and combined with a computer to produce a detailed image of body tissues. If you undergo a CT scan, you may be given an intravenous injection of dye that helps produce more detailed images.In most cases, test results for a CT scan will be available within a few days. The scan images are interpreted by a doctor who is specialized in reading the detailed images produced by CT equipment. After the results have been read, your doctor will receive a summary of the findings and will review the results with you and what they mean.


PET Scan

A glucose solution is administered through intravenous injection and a scanner is used to spot deposits of cancer cells. Malignant cells take up and use sugars more quickly than normal cells, so they can be easily distinguished using this procedure.

PET scans make use of the metabolic processes of cells to create highly detailed images of the inside of the body. Prior to a PET scan, the individual undergoing the test is injected intravenously with a solution of radioactive glucose. During the test, their body is scanned using equipment that can detect the presence of the radioactive glucose. This process works off the principle that malignant cancer cells absorb and use glucose more quickly than normal healthy cells. Once the scan images have been generated, areas of tissue that have taken up large amounts of glucose can be easily distinguished from other areas of tissue.

MRI Scan:
A combination of radio waves and a strong magnetic field is used to create detailed three-dimensional images that can be carefully examined by a radiologist.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging, originally known as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is a medical imaging technique that provides very detailed images of any part of the body. More sophisticated than the CT scan, the use of MRIs began in the mid 1970s and the scans are still an important diagnostic tool today, especially in the diagnosis of cancer.

By use of a powerful magnetic field, the MRI clearly shows the contrast of different soft tissues in the body. By changing exam parameters, the MRI can cause these tissues to take on different appearances. When this occurs, the radiologist who is observing the MRI can simply tell whether something inside the body is abnormal by the way it appears on the screen.

Unlike other diagnostic procedures, the MRI does not rely on radiation, making it an even safer procedure than most. Instead, when the body is inside the machine, radio waves redirect the axes of spinning protons, which are the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, in a strong magnetic field. This field is produced by allowing an electrical current to pass through wire coils inside the machine. Other coils that encircle the body send and receive radio waves, producing signals that are received by a computer. The signals generate images that each show a thin "slice" of the body. These images are then interpreted by a radiologist experienced in reading MRI results.

source: www.asbestos.com