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Mesothelioma Symptoms and Treatment When mesothelioma is first diagnosed doctors will order scans of the body to detect any cancerous growths on the abdomen or chest. Mesothelioma can be a sign of other illnesses such as lung cancer or pneumonia that can lead to the wrong diagnosis. A biopsy is taken by the doctor to diagnose mesothelioma. There are three mesothelioma cell types which include epithelial (epidermal), the sarcomatoid (sarcoma) and biphasic. Each type responds to treatment differently and has a distinct impact on life expectancy. Diagnosis Doctors will run several tests when mesothelioma is suspected. This includes chest X-rays, CT scans and biopsies. The X-ray shows a build-up of fluid on one side of the chest. This is referred to as Pleural effusion. It is often the first indication of mesothelioma. However, X-rays are not the most reliable way to determine the severity of the disease. The next step is an chest CT scan, which creates an exact picture of your lungs and other organs. A doctor will inject you with a dye to highlight any areas that might be cancerous. During the CT scan, you'll be taken through a doughnut-shaped scanner while lying on the bed. The procedure is only just a few minutes and is not particularly uncomfortable, even for people who are fearful of heights. In certain situations, a physician will also conduct an MRI. These tests use powerful radio waves and magnetic fields to produce high-quality images of soft tissues, like lung tissues. An MRI can be used to locate mesothelioma in the diaphragm as well as determine the stage of the disease. Certain patients may also undergo an PET scan. In this test, you will receive a shot of the radioactive dye. Cancer cells will absorb the dye significantly more than healthy cells and therefore appear brighter in the images. A biopsy is the last test to confirm mesothelioma. A doctor will remove an infected lining. The lining will then be examined under a microscope to identify cancer cells. This procedure is done under local anaesthetic and can be done with surgery or by inserting needles guided by a CT scan. If the biopsy results show mesothelioma your doctor will then utilize the results of other tests to determine its stage. The stage is the measurement of the size of mesothelioma as well as which treatment is the best for you. You can find out more about staging by reading the section in this guide titled Staging. Treatment There are many treatment options for mesothelioma. Some treatments may improve the quality of life, or extend the life span of patients longer than other. Patients with mesothelioma need to discuss their goals and choose the best treatment option. Surgery is one option to treat mesothelioma. Surgeons strive to remove any cancerous tissue during this procedure. However, if mesothelioma is in an advanced stage, it's unlikely surgeons will be able to completely eliminate the tumor. Regardless, surgeons can still reduce symptoms. The most frequent mesothelioma form is mesothelioma that is found within the lining of the lung. A person can develop mesothelioma around the heart in some instances (pericardial msothelioma). Rarely, mesothelioma can affect the testicles. Mesothelioma is treated using chemotherapy and radiation. The treatments are usually provided by mesothelioma experts at specialist centers. Chemotherapy is a treatment that makes use of drugs to kill mesothelioma cancer cells and stop their growth. Pemetrexed and cisplatin are common first-line combination of drugs for pleural mesothelioma. Radiation therapy uses high energy beams to kill cancerous cells. This treatment is most often used in conjunction with other mesothelioma therapies including surgery and chemotherapy. It can also be used to eliminate any microscopically residual mesothelioma which surgeons could not remove during surgery. These treatments can trigger many adverse effects on patients with mesothelioma. The symptoms include nausea, fatigue, and hair loss. A mesothelioma doctor can help a patient find the right medication to fit their individual needs. They can also recommend other ways to help improve the quality of life for patients. This could include regular pleural drainage to ease breathing, or strong painkillers. Patients should inform their physicians know about any other medications, such as herbal remedies, supplements or over-the-counter drugs. This will help to avoid any potentially harmful interactions between these drugs. Prognosis Mesothelioma, also referred to as pleural mesothelioma is a tumor that causes cancer that affects the membrane that surrounds the internal cavities of our bodies such as the chest cavity and abdomen. If a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma, malignant cells can form in the mesothelium, which may be spread to other parts of the body and trigger symptoms like breathing difficulties or pain. A specialist doctor's diagnosis of mesothelioma is crucial since it is the initial step in receiving treatment. It may take multiple steps to identify mesothelioma which may include a physical examination and lab tests, as well as biopsy. A biopsy takes a small sample of the tumor or mass to test for mesothelioma. If you are misdiagnosed with mesothelioma, it is extremely risky as it can delay treatment and deteriorate the prognosis. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms can be similar to lung cancer or other common ailments like pneumonia or bronchitis. Because of this, mesothelioma gets mistakenly interpreted as a respiratory illness. The prognosis of mesothelioma varies on the type and stage, along with age, general health and medical history. There is no cure for mesothelioma, but the cancer can be treated with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. Patients can also receive palliative treatments to manage fatigue, pain and other signs. The stage of mesothelioma is an indication of how much the disease of a patient has spread and how far it has already advanced. A doctor will make use of their best judgment to determine the staging considering the symptoms and the speed at which the cancer is growing. The rate of survival for mesothelioma depends on the stage and type, as well as the location of the cancer. Patients diagnosed with less well-known mesothelioma types have a less favorable prognosis. Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma, for instance, have a better chance of living longer because it tends to grow slower in the abdomen than pleural mesothelioma can do in the chest. Additionally, those who are tolerant for treatment may live longer than patients with lower tolerance. For instance, a few patients with peritoneal mesothelioma's have had success with a combination of chemotherapy, surgical removal and radiation. Symptoms When asbestos fibers are swallowed or inhaled, they cling to the organ's lining and can cause them to form tumors. Mesothelioma is most often found in the lungs. However it can also be found in the chest, abdomen and testicles of men. Mesothelioma symptoms generally don't appear until 40 to 50 years after exposure. The first step to diagnosing mesothelioma is taking a medical history of asbestos exposure. Your doctor will conduct an examination of your body and review your symptoms. A chest X ray can reveal abnormal thickening or fluid in the space that separates the lungs from chest wall. A lung CT scan is also used to detect mesothelioma and other cancers in the lungs. You can have blood tests done to check on the health of your kidneys and liver. The doctor might require an chest MRI, or an PET scan, to check for other possible cancers or mesothelioma within the lungs or chest wall. If a biopsy of the tumor is required, the doctor can remove it with surgery or by inserting a needle into the chest wall while under local anesthesia. The doctor will then study the tissue with a microscope to determine if it is malignant mesothelioma, or another cancer. If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, doctors use the results of all tests to help them assess how advanced the cancer is. They will assign mesothelioma a staging number, which can be important in making plans for your treatment. They're not cancerous and they won't recur when surgically removed. They typically develop in the abdominal lining of the pleura. Because it affects the heart, mesothelioma that develops in the pericardium might be more difficult to treat. sterling heights mesothelioma attorney can also recur following surgery. Mesothelioma can also grow to other areas of the body, like the lymph nodes, or bones located outside the chest and abdomen. It is sometimes difficult to determine if you have mesothelioma based on the similarity of symptoms to other conditions that are not as serious. This can lead to a mistaken diagnosis, which can delay your treatment. The delay can cause more complications, and reduce your chances of surviving.