Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis

As mentioned in other sections, mesothelioma symptoms may be symptoms of a number of other diseases, many of which are not nearly as serious as mesothelioma. Only your doctor can make a proper mesothelioma diagnosis. Discuss your medical record, all of your symptoms, as well as any history of asbestos exposure with your doctor.

If your doctor decides it is appropriate, a mesothelioma diagnosis would likely involve a physical examination as the first step. The physical examination may include x-rays of the chest or abdomen, and a CT (CAT) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan to take images of your internal body structure. Once these results are analyzed, in order to confirm a mesothelioma diagnosis, a biopsy would be necessary.

The purpose of a biopsy is to collect tissue samples from the affected area for examination. A biopsy in the chest area may involve a thoracoscopy – a technique where surgeons make a small cut in the chest and insert a thin tube called a thoracoscope to find and take samples. A biopsy in the abdomen would be a similar process, but would be called a “peritoneoscopy.” Unless a sufficient tissue sample isn’t recovered from the biopsy (in which case a more invasive surgery may be necessary), a final mesothelioma diagnosis can be made from the results of the analysis.

Part of the diagnosis involves more detail than simply “mesothelioma.” The doctor will also want to ascertain whether or not the cancer has spread to any other area of the body – a process called metastasizing. Metastatic cancer is much more difficult to cure or send into remission than localized (only present on the originally affected area) cancer.

Mesothelioma prognoses cannot be given with full accuracy because of the wide variations in time before diagnosis and disease progression. However, prognoses are usually poor because the cancer’s latency period is so long that diagnoses are made too late. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the one-year survival rate of mesothelioma patients is less than 30%. However, early diagnosis can drastically improve this survival rate. For some patients at major cancer centers, five-year survival rates are approaching 40%. Clinical trials may also offer some promise. See the section on Mesothelioma Treatment for more information.