Do Mesothelioma Doctors Rely Too Much on CT?
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Do Mesothelioma Doctors Rely Too Much on CT?

ByAlex Strauss

A team of researchers in the UK say doctors may be relying too heavily on the results of CT scans to determine which patients should have invasive biopsies for suspected pleural mesothelioma. Examining tumor cells under a microscope is currently the only way to definitively diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma. However, because getting a cell sample means that a patient has to undergo surgery, doctors typically use non-invasive tests like CT first. CT scans have become an important part of the diagnostic process for malignant pleural mesothelioma. To see how valuable these tests really are for respiratory patients, experts from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine and the Lancashire Chest Centre in Preston, UK analyzed the CT scans and final diagnoses…

CT Accuracy May Vary for Mesothelioma
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CT Accuracy May Vary for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A group of French doctors has a warning for people exposed to asbestos and concerned about the possibility of mesothelioma: watch out for false positive CT results. Their new meta-analysis of current radiological techniques found that there is a wide margin in the way CT results are interpreted in cases of cancer in the lungs and chest including mesothelioma. The study may have important implications for mesothelioma, where early, accurate diagnosis is critical. CT (computed tomography) and the newer high-resolution volume CT (HR-VCT) which takes multiple two-dimensional images, are among the most popular imaging modalities for diagnosing and staging malignant pleural mesothelioma. According to the researchers who conducted the study, part of the problem is the lack of specific training in…