Mesotheliom Diagnosis and Mesotheliom Treatment
The diagnosis of mesotheliom has become somewhat easier over the past few decades. It's estimated that throughout much of the 20th century, many individuals were misdiagnosed with lung cancer or another disease when in fact they had mesotheliom cancer. Part of the problem was that few physicians were even aware of the existence of this relatively rare cancer.
Today, many more physicians know about mesotheliom — and its link to asbestos exposure — and medical technology has made sufficient advances to better identify and treat mesotheliom. Unfortunately, there is still no cure for mesotheliom, and the life expectancy for mesotheliom patients is rather limited.
Mesotheliom Diagnosis
Tests and procedures that are frequently used when mesotheliom is suspected in an individual include:
- physical exam and medical history
- chest x-ray
- complete blood count
- CT scan (CAT scan)
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
- biopsy
- fine-needle aspiration biopsy
- thoracoscopy
- peritoneoscopy
- laparotomy
- thoracotomy
- bronchoscopy
- cytologic exam
These help determine whether or not an individual has mesotheliom cancer. As with other types of cancer, the type, location and stage of mesotheliom must also be determined. Some of the above diagnostic tests are also used for these purposes.
Mesotheliom Treatment
The traditional mesotheliom treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy (and combinations of two or more of these treatments). They are designed to cut away, destroy or irradiate the malignant cells and tissue of which malignant mesotheliom is composed.
Newer mesotheliom treatment options include:
- Photodynamic therapy — a drug that makes a patient's cancer cells more sensitive to light is administered intravenously, and a laser beam then targets and kills the cancer cells (but not healthy cells).
- Biologic therapy — a patient's own immune system is used to help fight the mesotheliom, with agents created in a laboratory or in the patient's body to maximize the body's defense against the cancer.
