Mesothelioma Diagnosis

The fact that mesothelioma’s early symptoms are varied and non-specific often means a firm diagnosis of mesothelioma is delayed while the disease grows. Yet, there are standard diagnostic tests that work. If you or a loved one in the Syracuse, New York, area suffers from shortness of breath, weight loss, a persistent cough or stomach pains, see a doctor as soon as possible; these may indicate mesothelioma. Be sure to tell your physician about any exposure to asbestos you or your loved one has had, as well as any other occupational risk factors.

If you or a loved one from the Syracuse area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the New York asbestos lawsuits of Belluck & Fox, LLP, can help. The firm’s team of attorneys, concentrating on mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases, has successfully handled cases in every county in New York State, including Onondaga County. Belluck & Fox’s NY personal injury attorneys provide professional, personalized advocacy for their clients, and can help you determine the legal options appropriate for you and your family.

For more information, use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free from anywhere in New York at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).

Mesothelioma Indicators

If there is a possibility that you have been exposed to asbestos, you need to provide your doctor with all relevant information about your work history and possible contact with asbestos or asbestos-containing products, particularly if it was part of employment in a Syracuse or upstate New York manufacturing plant. It is always important for patients to be proactive with medical personnel, and open communication is crucial if your doctor is to make the earliest possible diagnosis of mesothelioma or other disease.

Initial evaluations can help determine whether the patient is at risk of developing mesothelioma. Your physician will likely complete a medical history by asking you questions that will help determine the timeframe and environment in which you could have come into contact with asbestos.

In addition to drafting a medical history, your doctor will give you a complete physical examination. A physical normally includes:

• Listening to your chest as you breathe in and out. Partially muted sounds in your chest, or silence, could indicate fluid in the chest cavity, or pleural effusion.
• Listening to each side of your chest as you make vowel sounds. Muted or dull sounds in the right or left chest cavities could indicate a buildup of fluid.
• Percussing (i.e., tapping), the chest. A clear chest has a hollow resonance. A dull sound indicates the presence of fluid or a mass in the chest cavity.
• Feeling the neck and armpits for enlarged lymph nodes.

Though a routine physical would identify few signs of mesothelioma, if your doctor has enough information about you, he can proceed to one or more diagnostic tests to determine whether malignant mesothelioma is present. At this point, you doctor would know your symptoms, medical history, specific risk factors (such as occupational asbestos exposure), and the results of a complete physical.

Mesothelioma Tests

Syracuse-area medical professionals are familiar with a variety of diagnostic procedures commonly used to determine whether a patient’s symptoms are caused by mesothelioma. Imaging scans, tissue biopsies, pulmonary function tests, and other diagnostic techniques discussed below are routinely used to diagnose mesothelioma.

Imaging. Diagnosticians have multiple ways to visually examine a patient’s internal organs and tissues for indications of fluid or tumors.

• Chest x-rays can help identify thickening in the pleura, an irregular mass in the chest cavity, abnormal fluid in the lungs (pleural effusion), and/or the lowering of the lung fissures (spaces between the lobes of the lungs).
• Abdominal x-rays can indicate whether an irregular mass is present in the abdominal cavity.
• CT or CAT (computed tomography) scans use x-rays and computers to create detailed images of the body’s insides. A rotating x-ray beam takes a series of pictures of the body from different angles, and the computer combines these as a detailed cross-sectional image of a specific area of the body. A CT scan enables a radiologist to identify distinct aspects of the lungs and pleura.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create a series of cross-sectional pictures of the body. MRI images are much sharper than routine x-ray images, and the process does not produce harmful radiation. MRI images can depict “soft tissues” in the body and identify the extent of mesothelioma. New MRI techniques produce images that indicate tumor growth in the pleura and thoracic wall better than older methods could.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans the body’s biological functions with a camera. PET scans can pinpoint the regions of active disease with tracers that indicate where there is abnormal metabolic activity. Since cancers and other diseases metabolize sugars quicker than normal tissues or organs do, this technique can pick up on minor changes in the disease. PET scans can identify extremely small cancer cells, indicate benign or malignant cells and, because the scans indicate any changes, help determine whether therapies are working against disease.
• Pathological Tests. A pathological examination will ultimately identify mesothelioma if it is present in the patient’s body. This includes a biopsy, which is removal of a tissue sample from the body to be examined under a microscope. The pathologist can then make a definitive diagnosis, which will be detailed in a pathology report.

There are various ways to perform a biopsy:

• Fine-Needle Aspiration. Removal of a tiny piece of tissue with a small needle.
• Thoracoscopy. Removal of tissue from a pleural or pericardial tumor with a thoracoscope (telescope-like instrument connected to a video camera) inserted through a small incision into the chest. This is a relatively new technique that allows the doctor to see the tumor and use special forceps to take a biopsy or collect fluid.
• Laparoscopy. Biopsy of a peritoneal tumor via a flexible tube attached to a video camera that is inserted into the abdominal cavity through small incisions. Fluid can also be collected during laparoscopy.
• Bronchoscopy. Collection of tissue samples from the bronchi by inserting a flexible lighted tube down the trachea. This procedure is used when pleural mesothelioma is suspected.
• Mediastinoscopy. Insertion of a lighted tube under the patient’s sternum (chest bone) at the neck level, and then movement of the tube into the chest cavity. With this technique, the surgeon can see the lymph nodes, which are collections of immune system cells that help the body fight infection, and take tissue samples to determine whether mesothelioma has spread to the lymph nodes. This technique can also be used to visually diagnose mesothelioma or other lung cancers.
• Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs). Many tests known as PTFs can be used to evaluate a patient’s respiratory system. They help to assess and diagnose pulmonary disease and to determine a course of treatment. PFTs include simple peak flow measurements, complex body plethysmography and ventilation/perfusion scans. PFTs can also be used to monitor a patient’s response to treatment.

Despite the difficulties of diagnosing mesothelioma, these procedures and tests can deliver a clear diagnosis. Early diagnosis is a significant factor in developing a long-term prognosis for the patient.

Mesothelioma Stages

If tests find pleural mesothelioma, the physician then needs to determine the “stage” of the disease to identify the best treatment plan. The stage level indicates how much of the body is affected by the disease.

• Stage I pleural mesothelioma. “Localized,” or occurring in one isolated area.
• Stage II mesothelioma. Spread to an area adjacent to the initial site of the disease.
• Stage III mesothelioma. Spread to multiple tissues or structures in the body. At this stage, the cancer may have invaded the lymph nodes.
• Stage IV mesothelioma. Advanced cancer. At this stage, the cancer appears throughout a large portion of the body, possibly including areas far from the chest.

Contact Our Syracuse, New York Mesothelioma Attorneys Today

If you or a loved one from the Syracuse area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the New York asbestos lawsuit lawyers of Belluck & Fox, LLP, can help. The firm’s team of NY personal injury attorneys, concentrating on mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases, has successfully handled cases in every county in New York State, including Onondaga County. Belluck & Fox attorneys provide professional, personalized advocacy for their clients, and they can help you determine the legal options appropriate for you and your family.

For more information, use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free from anywhere in New York at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).