Pleural mesothelioma is one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose. In the past, this has been accentuated by the fact that doctors did not yet have reliable ways to test for the presence of mesothelioma tumor markers in a patient's bloodstream, an early warning sign of developing cancer, and thus have had to develop an alternative method of diagnosis.
However, in recent years a reliable blood assay test for pleural mesothelioma, known as Mesomark®, has made the use of mesothelioma tumor markers as a diagnostic method much more common. Tumor markers are chemical substances found in the blood or other bodily fluids which should not normally be there – substances produced either by the tumor or as a byproduct of its growth in the body. Mesomark® screens those bodily fluids and detects the presence of chemicals produced by pleural mesothelioma tumors in the body – even before those tumors are large enough to be visible.
Even with the existence of reliable testing technology like mesothelioma tumor markers, however, asbestos-exposed patients and their doctors must still rely on other diagnostic methods to be sure of an asbestos disease diagnosis. This is because tumor markers for pleural mesothelioma, as with other cancers, can give only a general idea of conditions within the body. To be sure of the diagnosis for a disease as severe as pleural mesothelioma, other diagnostic methods are used to confirm presence of the disease.
The first line of pleural mesothelioma screening is the simple chest X-ray, which is useful for spotting tumors and visualizing their spread in an area of the body. Pleural mesothelioma-related physical changes such as pleural effusions and the developments of pre-tumor masses can also be seen on X-rays. The next line of defense is the CT scan, the previous star of the pleural mesothelioma diagnosis and still a critical tool. CT scans can spot pleural mesothelial tumors in the earliest stages, and provides a much better view of anatomical structures and tumor bodies than the more primitive X-ray images.
PET scans and MRI scans round out the diagnostic imaging toolkit, greatly enhancing the diagnostic process and providing critical information for effective surgical treatment of pleural mesothelioma. If the imaging shows tumor masses, the next step in confirming the diagnosis is to take a biopsy – a surgical sample of the tumor which is analyzed in the lab.
Although many hail the development of the Mesomark® assay as a new front line of defense against pleural mesothelioma, it should be noted that the first step in any mesothelioma diagnosis is actually a step that does not involve medicine at all – it is the reporting of asbestos exposure to a patient's primary care physician.
Asbestos exposure is a life event that general practitioners are not widely trained to anticipate or expect, and so patients must be highly proactive of informing their physician of any past exposure – even relatively minor levels of exposure. The mesothelioma tumor marker test doesn't do any good if it isn't given to the patient – and if the doctor doesn't know to be on the lookout for asbestos-related diseases, the test may never be ordered.
Sources
© 2010 PleuralMesothelioma.com | Last Modified Friday, June 18th, 2010 | | Editorial Staff | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
