October, 2011-Screening tests for mesothelioma are not widely recommended, according to the American Cancer Society. Some doctors do suggest that people with known exposure to asbestos get chest x-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans to determine if there are changes in the lungs that could be signs of mesothelioma or lung cancer. However, there is no consensus about whether these tests aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma.
Once a diagnosis is suspected, doctors often use imaging tests such as x-rays, CT scans, positron emission tomography (PET) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans as diagnostic tools for mesothelioma.
These imaging tests use x-rays, radioactive particles or magnetic fields to create pictures of the inside of the body. Imaging tests can find suspicious areas that might be cancerous, can indicate how far cancer may have spread, and can determine if previous treatment has been effective.
Despite the technology available today, most people with mesothelioma are diagnosed when they go to the doctor with troubling symptoms that sometimes resemble pneumonia or just difficulty breathing. There may also be back pain, weight loss, fever and muscle weakness when someone has mesothelioma.
More recently, doctors have discovered that people with mesothelioma often have high levels of substances like osteopontin and soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRPs) in their blood.
Blood tests for these substances are not generally used to diagnose mesothelioma, but high levels of these substances may help the doctor with the diagnosis. Usually these blood tests are helpful for people who have already been diagnosed – so doctors and other health care professionals can follow their patients’ progress both during and after cancer treatment.
When mesothelioma is diagnosed, other blood tests are usually done to check the blood cell counts and levels of certain chemicals. Tests like these can give the doctor an idea of how extensive the mesothelioma is and how well key body functions are working.
A person’s physical symptoms and the results of many exams, imaging tests, and/or blood tests may strongly suggest that they have mesothelioma, but the actual diagnosis is generally made by removing cells from the abnormal area and looking at the cells under a microscope. This procedure is known as a biopsy and it may be done in different ways, depending on the situation and the health of the patient.
Contact:
Baron & Budd, P.C.
Susan Knape, 214-629-0596
email: [email protected]
