Diagnosis Of Mesothelioma
If a person is experiencing the symptoms of mesothelioma, then the doctor will conduct a physical examination at first to look for the unusual signs or any lumps. The doctor might also order imaging scans such as computerized tomography (CT) scan and a chest X-ray to check the presence of tumor cells in your chest or abdomen. After collecting the findings, the patient might also undergo further testing to rule out whether it is mesothelioma or another disease causing the symptoms. The following are some diagnostic procedures to confirm the presence of mesothelioma in patients:
Biopsy
The biopsy is a diagnostic procedure in which the doctor removes a small portion of the patient’s tissues for examination in the laboratory and is the only way to determine whether a patient has mesothelioma or not. Depending on the area of the body affecting from mesothelioma, the doctor chooses the right biopsy procedure for the patient. The options of biopsy comprise of:
Inserting the needle through the skin:
The doctor can remove a piece of tissue or fluid with a small needle inserting into the skin through the chest or the abdomen.
Collection of a tissue sample during surgery:
The surgeon takes a tissue or fluid sample during an operation by making small incisions and inserting the tube in the body. The small tube has a video camera on its tip to look inside the chest or abdomen. The doctor might also insert special tools inside the tube to collect the tissue sample.
The doctor then analyzes the tissue sample under the microscope to check if the abnormal tissue has mesothelioma or not. The doctor also checks for the type of cell varieties present in the tissue sample to determine what type of mesothelioma the patient is suffering from.