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Mesothelioma Diagnosis |
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| Mesothelioma diagnosis can be complicated as the symptoms are similar to
those of a number of other conditions and because of its relative rarity, many cases of mesothelioma
are unfortunately misdiagnosed. Most people begin the mesothelioma diagnosis by seeing their doctor
who will carry out an examination and then refer to a specialist at the hospital. Then the mesothelioma
diagnosis is often achieved with careful assessment of clinical and radiological results. |
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| Initially the mesothelioma diagnosis begins with a review of the patient’s
medical and working history particularly focusing on any asbestos exposure. |
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| To establish the mesothelioma diagnosis, a thorough physical examination may
be undertaken including x-rays of the chest or abdomen, lung function tests and a CT scan or MRI. If
any of the aforementioned tests prove suspect a biopsy will be performed to confirm the
mesothelioma diagnosis. |
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| If it is a confirmed mesothelioma diagnosis, the doctor will want to establish
the extent of the disease or at what stage the disease is at. |
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| To establish the stage, more tests will be undertaken in a careful attempt to
ascertain whether the cancer has spread and if so, to which parts of the body. Understanding the
stage of the mesothelioma assists the doctor plan the treatment. |
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Mesothelioma Prognosis |
| Mesothelioma has a long latency period, 50 or 60 years in some cases and may not
be diagnosed until the patient is in the advanced stages of the cancer. This means that the prognosis for
Mesothelioma tends to be rather bleak, with patients only surviving a year or two after the diagnosis is
made. There are several factors that determine the prognosis for Mesothelioma: |
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| How old is the patient? - Generally, younger patients will be stronger
and more able to cope with the treatment than older patients who may have other problems such as higher
blood pressure. |
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| How advanced is the cancer? - The symptoms may be similar to those for
other diseases or conditions, so the Mesothelioma may be well advanced before being properly diagnosed. This
means it may well spread to other parts of the body. |
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| The type of Mesothelioma? - Pleural mesothelioma carries the best rate
of survival. Peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma are harder to treat. |
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The type of Histology? - The type of histology depends on the
characteristics of the cell structures and affected tissue.
50 percent of patients have Epithelial Histology. 10 - 20 percent of patients have Sarcomatoid
Histology. 30 - 40 percent have both types, known as Biphasic or mixed.
Patients with the Epithelial type of Mesothelioma usually have a better prognosis
than the other types.
A rarer histological type of mesothelioma is Papillary Mesothelioma, which is found in women in their 30s
and 40s and is Epithelial in nature. |
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