Mesothelioma Diagnosis
The diagnostic process for pleural mesothelioma incorporates numerous tests and requires the close cooperation of a diverse team of medical experts. While most patients first meet with a general practitioner, their diagnosis can involve the expertise of radiologists, surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, pulmonologists and others.
These additional specialists can be necessary because this form of cancer is so challenging to diagnose, even for highly qualified oncologists. Symptoms rarely appear until the disease has entered its later stages, and even then they are hard to distinguish from the signs of more common respiratory illnesses. Many patients with pleural mesothelioma don’t experience symptoms until the cancer is in later stages of development.
A diagnosis usually starts with a patient talking about symptoms and providing a medical and occupational background to a physician. The occupational part of the discussion is important. Pleural mesothelioma almost always stems from occupational exposure to asbestos. Doctors follow up with a physical exam.
If a patient describes one or more risk factors for pleural mesothelioma, such as past exposure to asbestos, additional tests will be required. These may include imaging scans, biopsies or blood tests.
Initial Doctor's Appointment
In the earliest stages of pleural mesothelioma, signs of disease are nonexistent or virtually undetectable. While bothersome symptoms compel most patients to schedule an initial consultation with their doctor, problems can be so mild that people ignore them at first. Because even medical experts can easily mistake initial mesothelioma symptoms for those of less serious conditions, delays in the diagnostic process of up to six months are commonplace.
A patient’s first appointment is usually with their primary care provider, who often refers the patient to a pulmonologist. Further testing with a pulmonologist leads to a referral with an oncologist, who then conducts advanced imaging and tissue sampling tests.
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