| By :
Wendy Moyer
Mesothelioma is usually a life-threatening disease that generally occurs anywhere from twenty to fifty or more years after a person has been exposed to asbestos fibers. Although most people who come down with the disease either breathed in or swallowed the asbestos fibers while at work some have gotten it as a result of second-hand exposure. This has happened, for example, when workers in an industry that exposed them to asbestos brought the fibers home with them on their clothing. Most often a person will first go to his or her doctor because they are experiencing pains in their chest, a shortness of breath, or swelling or pain in their abdomen. Their doctor will usually order a CT scan of the abdomen or chest or an x-ray. If the doctor feels that further examination would be warranted the physician may order a biopsy, a thoracoscopy, or a peritoneoscopy. Biopsy A biopsy is usually performed during a peritoneoscopy or a thoracoscopy, but it can be done during surgery. If a biopsy is ordered then a small piece of tissue would be removed and a pathologist would place it under a microscope in order to make a definitive diagnosis. Thoracoscopy A physician might look into a person's chest cavity with an instrument called a thoracoscope if the doctor suspects pleural mesothelioma. A thoracoscopy is usually done in a hospital because a cut is made through the wall of the chest so that the thoracoscope can be inserted between two of the ribs. Local anesthetics or painkillers are often used to eliminate the pain of surgery. If the doctor finds that fluid has collected in the patient's chest then the physician might drain the fluid by putting a needle into their chest and then use gentle suction to remove it. The removal of fluid is called thoracentesis. Peritoneoscopy If a person is suffering from pain in their abdomen, or if their abdomen has swollen, the physician might look inside it with a special instrument called a peritoneoscope. As with thoracoscopy, an incision is made, this time in the abdomen, and the instrument is inserted. While looking for peritoneal mesothelioma the doctor may also find and drain any fluid out of the patient's body by using a needle and applying gentle suction. The process is called paracentesis. Like with most types of cancer, the prognosis often will depend on how early it's diagnosed and how aggressively it's treated. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is usually not diagnosed until it is at the stage in which cures are unobtainable. The reality is that most victims of the disease will succumb to it within one to two years after the diagnosis.
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