Mesothelioma Diagnosis Improved by New Tests
An international panel of pathologists has released a consensus statement regarding guidelines for the pathological diagnosis of diffuse malignant mesothelioma. Among the key recommendations: antibody tests (immunohistochemical studies) are crucial to distinguishing mesothelioma from other types of cancers, and a patient’s history of asbestos exposure should not play a role in making the pathologic diagnosis. The expert panel included 16 pathologists from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group. Their goal was to provide guidelines to pathologists who do not have extensive experience in diagnosing mesothelioma. “What started the whole project was that our oncologists at the University of Chicago felt there were pathologists who saw maybe one case of mesothelioma every two or three years,” explains Aliya Husain, MD, Professor of…