If you or someone you love has a known exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma is a constant fear. The rare, asbestos-related disease has a latency period that extends to decades, and the slightest cough can give rise to terror. Physicians treating patients suspected of having the disease go through a process called differential diagnosis. Differential diagnosis looks at all possible causes of symptoms and slowly rules each out. A recent study indicates that though pleural effusion may not be the best way to diagnose mesothelioma, it is an effective way to eliminate it.
Italian Scientists Analyze Use of Pleural Effusion for Diagnosing Malignant Mesothelioma
The study was conducted by physicians from some of Italy’s leading hospitals, and aimed to identify biomarkers in pleural effusions that could accurately and consistently diagnose malignant mesothelioma. Pleural effusions are collections of liquid that form around the lungs in patients diagnosed with a variety of lung diseases.
Because collecting and analyzing pleural effusions is less invasive and far easier than collecting tissue samples for biopsy, the researchers wanted to assess its accuracy in diagnosing mesothelioma. After conducting a retrospective study of 71 studies, they concluded that the fluid contained several biomarkers that were extremely good at ruling out mesothelioma. They also found that a combination of biomarkers could be used to accurately detect the disease.
Pleural Effusions in Mesothelioma Patients Contain Proteins, Genetic Material, and More
An analysis of pleural effusion can find many different things, including metabolites, proteins, and genetic materials that point to a disease like mesothelioma or which can help physicians rule it out. The key to identifying or eliminating a particular disease is to know exactly what to look for. While a tissue biopsy is the most certain method of confirming a diagnosis, physicians are constantly looking for accurate methods that are easier on their patients.
Writing in the journal Cancer Cytopathology, the researchers found that most biomarkers found in pleural effusion could not correctly identify malignant mesothelioma, but that several provided nearly perfect accuracy in ruling the fatal diagnosis out.
Knowledge and resources are essential for those who are at risk for mesothelioma. For more information on what you need to know, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
