There are few diseases which are able to masquerade as other less threatening diseases. This is exactly what you get when you are dealing with mesothelioma. This disease is notoriously hard to diagnose because all of the symptoms are the same symptoms that you would have when you are dealing with different diseases. This can lead to treatments which go nowhere and a lot of time wasted. Some will even die without ever knowing what it was that killed them. This is unfortunate because the best chance there is for proper management of mesothelioma is to catch it as early as possible and attempt to treat it. This is one of the many reasons why cures are rare.

One of the main reasons why masquerading symptoms makes diagnosing mesothelioma hard to diagnose is because you have to actually be looking for the disease in order to find it. If you are not, it is easy to miss it. This being said, there are a few different ways in which doctors will use in order to find out whether a patient is suffering from mesothelioma or some other kind of disease. The physical examination is just the start of the process. To start with, doctors will use a chest x-ray and/or lung function tests. This will lead into a possible CAT or CT scan to take a closer look. Often this will be followed by cytopathology and ultimately a biopsy will be required.

Chest X-Ray

The chest X-ray is commonly the first thing a doctor will do in order to rule out other problems. They will look for signs of obstructions as well as dark pools of liquid in the lungs and surrounding areas.

CAT/CT or MRI Scan

This is a bit more invasive with the use of radiology which is why doctors do not prefer to use it first. They will be able to confirm any pools of liquid through this much more intense scanning process. Mesothelioma is generally indicated by pleural thickening.

Cytopathology

In cytopathology, it is possible to take a look at the actual fluid which has gathered or thickened. Pleural fluid will be aspirated through the use of a syringe and often with the use of a tube. The fluid will then be examined by a pathologist to determine whether it is likely to have come from, contain or surround cancerous cells. It is important to note that even if these tests do not indicate mesothelioma, it is not a guarantee that there is no mesothelioma.

Biopsy

The only way to be absolutely sure if there is malignant mesothelioma present in the body is through a biopsy. This is left for the end because it is highly invasive and requires the removal of a piece of tissue. The tissue will then be examined for cancerous cells. It is at this point where a pathologist will be able to provide an absolute ruling on whether a patient has mesothelioma or not.