Mesothelioma diagnosis often starts with misdiagnosis. This result is usually due to the rarity of the disease and the unspecified symptoms. The symptoms often coincide with other cancerous issues that affect the human body. The symptoms that include shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain under the rib cage are often related to other diseases and mesothelioma is often the last problem explored by health care professionals.
Once the mesothelioma doctor has developed a reasonable belief that the dreaded disease is present, he or she will order a biopsy. The biopsy process consists of removal of a small portion of the suspect tissue and tested in a lab for cancerous cells. This process usually does not take and extended amount of time. The tests are accelerated at this point because the affected cells mutate quickly and are nothing to take lightly. Different types of biopsies are performed depending on which part of the body may appear to be affected.
If the determination is made that the worse case scenario is apparent the mesothelioma specialist may order further testing. The most prescribed tests include but are not limited to chest x-ray, CT scan, MRI, and PET scan. These tests aide the mesothelioma health care professional determine by sight the severity of the disease and the extent of the spreading. This is where the staging comes in.
Stage One Mesothelioma: Stage One is defined as being localized and affecting only one mesothelium of the chest.
Stage Two Mesothelioma: Stage Two is defined as spreading from the chest to the lungs or diaphragm,
Stage Three Mesothelioma: Stage Three is defined as infected cells spreading to other organs and may have entered the lymph nodes.
Stage Four Mesothelioma: Stage Four is defined as a very advanced cancer that has spread or metastasized to even the furthest areas of the body. Mesothelioma most often spreads to the brain and throughout the lymphatic system. Please contact your local health care provider for more information.
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