Mesothelioma is a rare health condition that is directly linked to asbestos fibers inhalation for a longer period of time. The first signs of the condition take even up to 20, 30+ years to appear. Mesothelioma diagnosis is a more complex process, since the doctors face quite a challenge because they have to review older medical history of the patient and check with the patient whether he/she has been exposed to asbestos anywhere along the past several decades.

The very first step of the diagnosis is a physical examination. This is mostly a routine examination, and in this phase, the doctor and the patient will discuss all the important details, such as if the patient has been exposed to asbestos due to his job, or if the patient has other health complications that might be the underlying causes of the symptoms associated with mesothelioma. Next, the doctor will order chest X-rays in order to see whether there are clear signs indicating the illness. If the clinician sees fit, he might also ask for pulmonary tests to be performed. This is how basically the diagnosis of mesothelioma process starts.

Next, if the doctor is quite suspicious about the existence of mesothelioma he will order CT Scans and MRI tests to be taken. Based on these, the doctor can see the exact location of the tumor, its size and if the tumor has spread to any other major neighboring organs. Mesothelioma might develop in the chest or in the abdominal walls. The one in the chest is called pleural mesothelioma, while the one in the abdomen is abdominal mesothelioma.

Diagnosis Mesothelioma is not at all an easy process, and even though the patient might be exposed to several complex examinations, it is for his own good to see if the problem exists, or if it is already in a progressed state.

The last step in diagnosing efficiently mesothelioma, is the biopsy. This procedure is a surgical one, and it is when a piece of the tissue is removed in order to be sent for further investigation. The tumor might exist, but it might be a benign or a malign one, and the difference between the two is huge. If the results come back saying the patient has benign mesothelioma, that means the tumor is not actually cancer. However, if the results come back stating the tumor is malign that means unfortunately that cancer is present in the system.