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New Way to Identify Biopsy Sites to Diagnose Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink
New Way to Identify Biopsy Sites to Diagnose Mesothelioma

A study in Cancer Diagnosis and Prognosis explores a new way to identify biopsy sites to diagnose mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure. There are a few different types of mesothelioma. One type is malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

It is hard to diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma because its symptoms could also be caused by other diseases. It usually requires many tests to diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma. The delay in diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma also delays treatment.

The first diagnostic test is usually computed tomography (CT). CT scans are like a more sophisticated X-ray. The results of the CT scan help doctors locate the best place to conduct a biopsy. A biopsy is the examination of tissue to discover if the patient has mesothelioma. The testing that occurs on this tissue also helps doctors to figure out what kind of mesothelioma a patient has.

However, the results of a CT scan can be confused with many different medical conditions. This makes it harder to figure out where the diseased tissue might be, or if it’s even cancer at all.

This study looks at a different type of scan that might be more effective at locating biopsy sites for peritoneal mesothelioma. It is called F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT).

Finding Mesothelioma in the Body

Researchers at Hyogo Medical University in Japan conducted the study on FDG-PET/CT. They looked at sixty patient records for people with peritoneal mesothelioma who received FDG-PET/CT.

Seventy-five percent of patients were found to have diffuse peritoneal mesothelioma. This means the mesothelioma tumors are spread out in the body. The scans for the other 25% of patients showed that they had localized peritoneal mesothelioma. Localized mesothelioma means the tumors mostly appear in one area in the body.

The results of the FDG-PET/CT scans in these patients were extremely useful in identifying biopsy sites for diagnosis. Once doctors can locate a good biopsy site, the diagnosis process can continue. The next step is to test the tissue to determine the type of mesothelioma.

Using a more accurate scanning technology like FDG-PET/CT can speed up the diagnosis process. This leads to earlier treatment, and hopefully, an improved chance of survival.

Source

Kuribayashi K, Kitajima K, Minami T, Ikeda M, Yamakado K, Kijima T. Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma Features Shown by FDG-PET/CT. Cancer Diagn Progn. 2022;2(6):654-660. Published 2022 Nov 3. doi:10.21873/cdp.10156

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