Technorati

Technorati Profile

Mesothelioma Cancer

Dealing with mesothelioma is a very difficult process. It will require a lot of physical and emotional endurance, a strong family and social network, and expert medical and professional advice and assistance. The best way to approach dealing with mesothelioma is to first learn everything that you can about the disease. This should include the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of mesothelioma

Symptoms

Since mesothelioma takes a long time to develop inside a human body it is often difficult to identify the symptoms. In the early stages there may not even be any symptoms at all. When they do appear the most common early symptoms are shortness of breath and chest pains. These symptoms on their own will not usually identify the disease and are often misdiagnosed as asthma or other respiratory problems like pneumonia.

How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

Mesothelioma is diagnosed by pathological examination from a biopsy. Tissue is removed, placed under the microscope, and a pathologist makes a definitive diagnosis, and issues a pathology report. This is the end of a process that usually begins with symptoms that send most people to the doctor: a fluid build-up around the lungs (pleural effusions), shortness of breath, pain in the chest, or pa

in or swelling in the abdomen. The doctor may order an x-ray or CT scan of the chest or abdomen. If further examination is warranted, the following tests may be done:

• Thoracoscopy

For pleural mesothelioma the doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope. A cut will be made through the chest wall and the thoracoscope will be put into the chest between two ribs. This test is usually done in a hospital with a local anesthetic or painkiller.

If fluid has collected in your chest, your doctor may drain the fluid out of your body by putting a needle into your chest and use gentle suction to remove the fluid. This is called thoracentesis.

• Peritoneoscopy

For peritoneal mesothelioma the doctor may also look inside the abdomen with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. The peritoneoscope is put into an opening made in the abdomen. This test is usually done in the hospital under a local anesthetic.

If fluid has collected in your abdomen, your doctor may drain the fluid out of your body by putting a needle into your abdomen and using gentle suction to remove the fluid. This process is called paracentesis.

• Biopsy

  If abnormal tissue is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece and have it looked at under a microscope. This is usually done during the thoracoscopy or peritoneoscopy, but can be done during surgery