Mesothelioma or Lung Cancer? Pleural Fluid May Tell
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Mesothelioma or Lung Cancer? Pleural Fluid May Tell

One of the biggest challenges in treating malignant pleural mesothelioma is making a definitive diagnosis. Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the membranous tissue encasing the lungs and other organs. It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Although mesothelioma is not technically a lung cancer, many of its most common symptoms, such as shortness of breath and coughing, are similar to lung cancer and other lung diseases. Like mesothelioma, many of these diseases cause a buildup of fluid around the lungs known as pleural effusion.  But there are subtle differences in the biochemical composition of that fluid from one disease to the next. A team of medical researchers in Japan is testing a new method for detecting and using…