Mesothelioma Diagnosis: Current Challenges and Advancements in the Diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma

An article recently published in Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology addressed the current state of mesothelioma diagnosis, reviewing the present challenges and recent advancements.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Once exposed to the toxic mineral, symptoms can take as long as 20 to 50 years to arise and the mesothelioma life expectancy of a patient is often very poor. This is largely due to receiving a late diagnosis and lack of effective treatments for the cancer.

Mesothelioma is typically diagnosed in a late stage of development because symptoms do not surface until the cancer has reached a later stage. The review states that the average time period between onset of mesothelioma symptoms and diagnosis is two to three months.

The diagnostic process usually begins with a chest X-ray, but cannot be diagnosed with an X-ray alone. A chest CT scan is very helpful, but also unsuitable to serve as a definitive diagnosis for pleural mesothelioma.

Authors of the review explain, “It is not recommended to make a diagnosis of mesothelioma based on cytology alone because of the high risk of diagnostic error. In view of the medico-legal aspects, a formal tissue diagnosis on a biopsy specimen of MPM is required to obtain compensation. The recommended way is thoracoscopy, except in cases with pleural symphysis or contraindication to thoracoscopy, when either a surgical or transthoracic needle biopsy can be substituted, albeit with a lower sensitivity.”

Once a good biopsy sample has been collected, testing known as “immunochemistry” is used to diagnose the subtype of mesothelioma. The subtype is most commonly epithelial, but can also be classified as sarcomatoid or biphasic.

Much research is currently being conducted on both diagnostic and prognostic factors for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma testing is seeing improvements with developments such as the Mesomark test and the miRview Meso test.

Additional information on mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 3:34 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.