Mesothelioma Diagnosis

The First Step in a Mesothelioma Diagnosis – See Your Doctor

The first step in getting an accurate diagnosis is to be able to recognize the signs of mesothelioma and to see your doctor about your concerns. Some of the symptoms of mesothelioma include:

• Chest pains
• Shortness of breath
• Painful coughing
• Lumps on the chest
• Unexplained and unintentional weight loss
• Abdominal pain and swelling

Early signs of mesothelioma are usually mild. Doctors and patients often overlook them, especially since they are similar to signs of more common conditions. If you have these symptoms, and especially if they persist and if you know or suspect you have been exposed to asbestos, ask your doctor about mesothelioma.

This initial step is important because your doctor may be able to rule out mesothelioma. Your doctor can also rule out other conditions that are more common and less serious. If your doctor cannot make a conclusive diagnosis or rules out other conditions, your next step is to see an oncologist.

Staging Mesothelioma

The final step in diagnosing mesothelioma is assign a stage to the cancer. This is a description of how advanced mesothelioma is in an individual patient. Various factors to determine how advanced the cancer is:

• The size of the original tumor
• The extent of the spread of the tumor to nearby tissues
• The spread of the cancer to lymph nodes
• The spread of cancer to distant tissues or organs

Staging helps specialists plan for your treatment and helps you make more informed choices about treatment. Mesothelioma can be staged as one, two, three, or four, with one being the earliest stage and four the most advanced.

Do I Need a Second Opinion?

If you are at all uncomfortable with your diagnosis, you should seek a second opinion from another specialist. Diagnosing mesothelioma is imperfect. There is no single test that can provide a definitive answer and misdiagnosis happens. It is typical for patients to get a misdiagnosis of something more common and less serious, like bronchitis or irritable bowel syndrome.

Often it is only after symptoms persist and treatments for other conditions don’t work that doctors consider the possibility of cancer. Sometimes this results in a misdiagnosis of another type of cancer, like lung cancer. Early-stage mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose and it mimics other types of cancers.

If you feel uncomfortable about a diagnosis, you have every right to see another doctor for a second opinion.

What to Do Next

Getting a diagnosis of mesothelioma can feel devastating and overwhelming. Have loved ones around you to support you and to help with difficult decisions. There are a few things you should do after getting your diagnosis:

• Get a second opinion if you feel you need one. See a mesothelioma specialist to confirm a diagnosis made by a general oncologist.
• Ask your specialist or diagnosing oncologist about the stage of your cancer and prognosis so you know what to expect.
• Select a treatment team and discuss your options.
• Rely on family to support you and the guidance of your doctors to make decisions about treatment.

As you go on this frightening journey, it helps to learn more about cancer and mesothelioma. Let your oncologist give you resources so that you can make informed decisions. Ask any questions you have before starting on a treatment plan so you feel comfortable with the next steps. Involve your loved ones so you have support and help making important decisions.