|

Mesothelioma, A Most Difficult Diagnosis

ByHolly Zink
Mesothelioma, A Most Difficult Diagnosis

A case published in the International Journal of Surgical Pathology is another example of how hard it can be to reach a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Pleural mesothelioma develops in the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Signs and symptoms may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, chest pain, cough, and fatigue.

A Difficult Diagnosis

In this case, a 93-year-old man went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing. A CT scan showed doctors that the man had a hole in his lung that was causing air to leak out into the chest cavity. This is not a typical symptom of pleural mesothelioma.

To diagnose someone with pleural mesothelioma, doctors will usually run some type of scan on the chest. This could be an X-ray, a CT scan, or an MRI. These scans can show doctors where on the lungs the cancer might be growing.

Doctors may also run additional tests to diagnose pleural mesothelioma. They might test a patient’s blood for a specific protein called mesothelin. This test is 95% sensitive which makes it one of the most accurate blood tests available for mesothelioma.

Most Accurate Methods

The most accurate way to diagnose pleural mesothelioma is also the most invasive. Doctors will perform a tissue biopsy to take a small sample of the suspected cancer tissue for testing in a lab. The tissue that is examined during a biopsy will determine if the tumor is definitively mesothelioma or another form of cancer. In addition, a biopsy can indicate the stage of the disease and assist in determining the proper course of treatment.

For the elderly man in this case, doctors were able to collect a tissue sample when they were performing surgery to fix the hold in his lung. The biopsy testing showed the doctors that this man actually had pleural mesothelioma. The damage caused by the mesothelioma cells is probably what caused the hole in his lungs to form.

This interesting case highlights the importance of testing elderly patients who are having trouble breathing for pleural mesothelioma. The symptoms of this cancer aren’t always obvious and starting treatment early is the best way to improve prognosis.

Source

Marshall T, Lane J, Lahorra J. A Rare Presentation of Minimally Invasive Mesothelioma as a Large Tension Pneumothorax [published online ahead of print, 2023 May 1]. Int J Surg Pathol. 2023;10668969231167492. doi:10.1177/10668969231167492. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37128670/

Similar Posts

Mesothelioma Blood Test May Be Possible
|

Mesothelioma Blood Test May Be Possible

ByAlex Strauss

An international team of researchers is studying the proteins found on the surface of cancer cells in an effort to improve mesothelioma diagnosis. The team, made up of scientists from the US, Switzerland, Italy and Chile, has just published their findings on a new kind of test to identify protein-derived mesothelioma biomarkers in blood serum. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the membranes around organs. Because the most common mesothelioma biomarker, mesothelin, is also overproduced by other kinds of cancer cells, it has only limited diagnostic value. A test to identify a set of proteins produced specifically by mesothelioma cells could greatly improve diagnostic accuracy. Led by Ferdinando Cerciello and Bernd Wollscheid of the Institute of Molecular Systems Biology in…

Mesothelioma Still Carries Heavy Mortality Burden in U.S.
|

Mesothelioma Still Carries Heavy Mortality Burden in U.S.

ByAlex Strauss

Asbestos exposure cost Americans more than 427,000 years of potential life in the first decade of the new millennium. That figure comes from a study on mesothelioma and asbestosis – the two most deadly asbestos-related diseases – conducted by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Using National Center for Health Statistics mortality data, NIOSH researchers evaluated premature deaths and “loss of potentially productive years of life” attributable to either asbestosis or mesothelioma between 1999 and 2010. The data included only people 25 years or older with an underlying cause of death listed on their death certificate of either asbestosis or malignant mesothelioma. When the figures were calculated using the normal life expectancy for each asbestosis victim…

Needle Biopsy “Simple, Safe & Accurate” for Mesothelioma
| |

Needle Biopsy “Simple, Safe & Accurate” for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma researchers in China say a biopsy method that involves a single skin puncture can produce good diagnostic results for mesothelioma patients with little pain or risk. The study focused on percutaneous (through the skin) biopsy in patients who had unexplained fluid buildup or swelling in their abdomens. Abdominal distension and fluid buildup (called ascites) can be signs of peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive cancer of the abdominal lining caused by exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for less than 30% of all mesothelioma cases. Because the symptoms may be vague and often develop many decades after asbestos exposure, peritoneal mesothelioma can be especially challenging to diagnose.  Misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis are not uncommon. In the newest study on percutaneous…

Inflammation Both “Friend and Foe” in Mesothelioma
| |

Inflammation Both “Friend and Foe” in Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

An immune system response that causes mesothelioma symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and weight loss may also be helpful to clinicians as a way to find and treat the disease. Scientists with The Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney, Australia make that case that both systemic inflammation (throughout the body) and at the site of a tumor – has long been associated with mesothelioma and other cancers. Inflammation results when the body attempts to address the imbalances of cancer by producing more of certain immune system cells. Some inflammatory markers, such as CD+8 T-cells and C-reactive protein, have been linked to better prognosis in mesothelioma. Other inflammatory markers, such as certain macrophages and a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, can signal the…

Mesothelioma Rates Expected to Rise for Another Decade
|

Mesothelioma Rates Expected to Rise for Another Decade

ByAlex Strauss

Most developed countries can expect another decade or more of rising mesothelioma rates before the incidence of the disease starts to wane. That is one of the major findings in a recent report from The Baird Institute for Applied Heart and Lung Surgical Research in Australia. The report, which looked at the causes, distribution and projected future incidence of malignant mesothelioma, contains both good and bad news for the U.S.. Mesothelioma is an aggressive and often fatal cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.  It is thought to be triggered by chronic inflammation and irritation in the lung tissue and the surrounding pleural membrane by the sharp asbestos fibers.   Mesothelioma often takes decades to develop. According to the Baird Institute report, the average…

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Study: Long-Term Survival is Possible
|

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Study: Long-Term Survival is Possible

ByAlex Strauss

A new study out of Italy has some encouraging news for patients with the peritoneal form of malignant mesothelioma. The recent analysis of 108 peritoneal mesothelioma patients who underwent complete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by a rinse of heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) found a 43.6% cure rate among long-term survivors. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of one of the rarest cancers. Triggered almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma affects about 2,500 Americans each year.  About a third of those patients are diagnosed with the peritoneal form of the disease, which occurs on the membrane that lines the abdomen and surrounds the internal organs. During cytoreductive surgery, surgeons attempt to remove all traces of the mesothelioma tumor so that no cells…