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The Most Accurate Way to Diagnosis Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink
The Most Accurate Way to Diagnosis Mesothelioma

A new study out of India shared new findings on the most accurate way to diagnose mesothelioma.

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare type of cancer. The peritoneum is the membrane that lines your abdominal cavity. MPM forms in this lining and spreads within the abdominal cavity.

Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. MPM is likely caused by ingesting asbestos that become stuck in the abdomen. It can take up to 50 years for MPM to form and cause symptoms after asbestos exposure.

It can be hard for doctors to diagnose MPM. This is because MPM is so rare and the symptoms often look like more common diseases. A delayed diagnosis leads to delayed treatment and a lower chance of survival.

The most accurate way to diagnose MPM is with histopathological examination. This means looking at a tissue sample under a microscope. This is usually combined with immunohistochemical tests. These are special stains that are used to look for signs of mesothelioma.

Getting More Information

The authors of this study looked at 14 MPM patients between January 2008 and May 2019.  They looked at how these patients were diagnosed with MPM. Each case used multiple signs of MPM to make the final diagnosis.

The first sign of MPM in these patients were swollen or painful abdomens. Some of the MPM patients were scanned and the images showed signs of MPM tumors. Other patients had their abdominal cells examined under a microscope for signs of MPM.

All of the MPM cases had immunohistochemical tests performed on tissue samples. These tests showed doctors MPM signs that they might have otherwise missed.

The histopathological examination for these patients gave doctors more information about the type of MPM. It also revealed information about how the cancer was growing inside the abdomen.

This type of study is important because doctors have very little information about what MPM looks like in patients. This is because it is so rare, even for mesotheliomas. Information about how to identify MPM using these methods can help patients receive treatment faster.

Source

Karmarkar S, Rekhi B, Deodhar KK, Menon S. Histopathological and immunohistochemical features of 14 peritoneal mesotheliomas with clinical outcomes and recent updates. J Cancer Res Ther. 2022;18(6):1683-1691. doi:10.4103/jcrt.JCRT_1292_20

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