Diagnosis

Mesothelioma

When a doctor takes a patients medical history, and suspects mesothelioma, he will probably ask many questions about the individuals past, even twenty to fifty years in the past. Questions will include not only workers exposure, but home exposure as well. Asbestos can be found in many places, and often times exposure even for a brief period, may have been overlooked.

In a physical examination your doctor will check for swelling in the face and neck. He will also look for stomach mass, and/or a lump on the chest wall. Lab work will include a lung function test which in cases of mesothelioma will show a smaller amount of normal lung tissue available for breathing. A test for high levels of CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) in the blood may distingusish mesothelioma from other closely related diseases. Test will also find clotting abnormalities and elevated plate counts.

A CT Scan or Chest X-Ray will usually reveal thickening of the membranes, another sign of mesothelioma. In such a case it is probably that a doctor will have either an endoscopy or biopsy done to conclude diagnosis.