Like any cancer, a doctor needs to be very accurate when making a diagnosis if a person comes in complaining of symptoms that could be mesothelioma. One of the most important things for the doctor to be aware of is if the person has ever been exposed to asbestos or if the person suspects he or she might have been exposed to asbestos at some point. This is the most important piece to diagnosing mesothelioma early.

Once the doctor knows that his or her patient has been exposed to asbestos or thinks he or she might have been exposed to asbestos, the doctor can begin ordering the various tests to confirm suspicions or to confirm that the person really just has asthma (better to be safe than sorry!).

The first thing to do for diagnosing mesothelioma is get the individual's complete medical history. This should include information on whether the patient was ever exposed to asbestos or if family members were exposed or diagnosed. There is an increasing trend towards the children or spouses of individuals who were exposed to asbestos being exposed by doing the laundry. If there is a family history of asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, that can help the doctor figure out what is going on.

The doctor will probably order chest x-rays next. These will show if a person has a variety of other signs of asbestos exposure, like scarring. A chest x-ray may also reveal that the person merely has pneumonia and will end the mystery.

If nothing shows up, a Computerized Tomography or CT scan could be necessary. The other option is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. These scans will show if there are suspicious looking blobs or dots in the lungs. If there are and the dots look suspicious, the doctor will most likely order a biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure that removes a tiny piece of a suspicious blob for testing. The testing will reveal whether the blob is benign (not harmful) or malignant (mean). If the blob is benign, chances are good that the patient doesn't have mesothelioma but still should be watched because benign tumors have been known to become malignant. If the blob, or tumor, is malignant, then it is pretty much confirmed that the patient has mesothelioma.

Once a diagnosis has been made, the doctor will be able to determine in what stage the cancer is and also where it has taken up residence in the lungs. A doctor will also perform tests to determine if the cancer cells have spread to any other portion of the body.



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Asbestosis is commonly called fibrosis of the lungs. Pleural fibrosis can be seen as somewhat related to asbestosis in that there is evidence that individuals who have developed pleural fibrosis have an increased risk of developing asbestosis or fibrosis of the lungs later on. This is another one of the side effects of exposure to asbestos. It is one of the less deadly side effects but should still be taken seriously.

Asbestos exposure comes in a variety of forms. One way to be exposed to it is at a low level for intermittent or extended periods. The other common way to be exposed the asbestos is through a short period of time but with heavy exposure in that period. This is called amphiboles exposure.

Pleural fibrosis is the name for the condition in which a person will develop fibrous tissue in the pleura (the casing in the chest cavity around the lungs and over the diaphragm or around the heart or around parts of the digestive tract). The fibrous tissues can develop in a small area of the pleura (localized) or be much more widespread. In addition to the variation in how widespread the tissues are, there is also a wide range of variety in the thickness of the fibers. When it is thinner, pleural fibrosis will show up as a slight milky discoloration. When thicker, it can be a thick, white peel that can encase an entire or both lungs in their entirety.

We know that pleural fibrosis is directly related to exposure to asbestos. We know this because clinical examinations of pleural fibrosis have shown that the tissue typically contains at least asbestos fibers. In some cases, the fibers contain asbestos bodies and fibers. The lungs have also been shown to have asbestos fibers and bodies in them.

Like all conditions and diseases tied to exposure to asbestos, pleural fibrosis develops around fifteen years after the short period of heavy exposure to asbestos. The amount of time since the first incidence of exposure is much more important than the cumulative amount of exposure.

Like pleural plaques, pleural fibrosis is frequently diagnosed by accident or chance when a chest x-ray is performed. In light cases, there are frequently no symptoms. In heavier cases, patients have been known to complain of breathlessness, chest pain, or both to their doctor. This does actually reduce the amount of functioning in the lungs but frequently with very few symptoms. This is true even when the chest x-ray which diagnosed the pleural fibrosis indicates that the condition is widespread.

In rare cases, the fibrosis may become so severe and thick that it restricts the patient's ability to breath. When this happens, a pleurectomy is usually performed to remove the afflicted pleura completely.



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Pleural Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is most often found in people who have, at some point during their lives been exposed to high levels of asbestos. Asbestos is a type of naturally occurring mineral that was, for many years mixed with cement, plaster and paint and used in the interiors of houses. It was used as it is highly resistant to heat and is surprisingly strong. Unfortunately asbestos is made up of thin fibres which have since been found to be highly toxic to humans when they get into the body and it is these fibres that can be breathed in and cause a large number of health problems.

Due to the way that asbestos acts once inside the body it is usually many years later that asbestos related Pleural Mesothelioma is noticed. Pleural Mesothelioma is normally diagnosed when there is a change in the thin layer of membranes that are in the chest. When this pleural lining thickens or starts to calcify it is known as pleural plaques. These plaques in themselves are not always a definite precursor to cancer but they can greatly affect the function of the lungs and they can signal the start of Pleural Mesothelioma.

Pleural Mesothelioma may begin in the pleura but it can soon radiate outwards to the abdomen, the heart and the outer wall of the chest. When this happens and a diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma is made the prognosis is not good and many patients with Pleural Mesothelioma are not expected to live much longer than 12 months or so. With this in mind it is critical that anyone who has had previous exposure to asbestos is regularly tested for any changes in the pleura as this is an early sign that Pleural Mesothelioma could be imminent. When Pleural Mesothelioma is suspected early enough the patient can be treated and this can help them to live much longer than someone who has been diagnosed with full blown Pleural Mesothelioma.

Some of the symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma are pain in the lower back, shortness of breath and pain towards the side of the chest. Some people may have problems when swallowing, have a cough that will not go away and in some cases a patient might even be coughing up blood. Some people also find that they start to lose weight quite rapidly once the disease sets in.

As the outlook for a person with Pleural Mesothelioma is not good as treatment can be quite limited due to the aggressive nature of the disease. If the disease is caught quickly enough surgery can help to remove the pleura that are affected and the patient will live for longer than someone with advanced Pleural Mesothelioma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also options that some doctors will use to further extend the life of their patient but this does need to be carefully considered. Painkillers are used to keep the patient as comfortable as possible and other complimentary therapies can be used.



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Asbestos is a natural mineral that was once used in the construction and home improvement industries. It was put on ceilings when it was mixed with aertex, it was used to make surfaces semi flame resistant and it was also mixed with cement as it is very strong. At one point asbestos was seen as a revolution for these industries as it was just so versatile - it was also deadly. No one realised at the time that every time they were exposed to asbestos that they were taking their life in their hands and putting themselves in grave danger. Asbestos is now banned but its legacy lives on in the thousands of people who are feeling the after effects of being exposed to it over the years.

Exposure to asbestos is directly related to certain types of cancer, including peritoneal mesothelioma which is cancer of the membranes in the abdominal cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second rarest form of mesothelioma and each year it is responsible for around 20% of the cases of diagnosed mesothelioma. As exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of peritoneal mesothelioma there are two main ways that doctors believe that it can actually reach the abdominal wall. One way is through the digestion of asbestos fibres which is actually easy than most might think. Once in the digestive system the asbestos fibres get stuck in the peritoneum and over time this can result in peritoneal mesothelioma. The second way that asbestos gets to the abdomen is through the lymph nodes and lungs when asbestos is inhaled. In some cases pleural mesothelioma will result in peritoneal mesothelioma ad the asbestos moves through the lungs and into the abdominal cavity if left untreated and undiagnosed for some months.

Suspicion of peritoneal mesothelioma is usually made when a patient exhibits signs such as pain in the abdomen, chest or stomach and many suspect hernias are actually created by a tumour caused by peritoneal mesothelioma. Often a misdiagnosis that does not include peritoneal mesothelioma can be made and this can have severe repercussions on the life expectancy of a patient. It is usual for someone who is thought to have peritoneal mesothelioma to have to undergo many tests to get a correct diagnosis and these tests are imaging scans and tissue biopsies.

Patients who are found to have peritoneal mesothelioma do not have a good prognosis. However if a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma is made early enough they could have surgery to remove the disease and some cases it can extend a patient's life span for a few more years. If surgery is not an option then chemotherapy or radiotherapy can help although there is no guarantee that this will make much of a difference. It is essential that a person with peritoneal mesothelioma gets the right kind of treatment for any pain that they experience so that they are as comfortable as they can be. Peritoneal mesothelioma, like the other forms of mesothelioma is highly unpleasant and hard to live with.


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