Mesothelioma Info

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Most people begin by seeing a general practitioner when they experience symptoms. After a preliminary examination, the doctor may arrange for tests or x-rays, and the patient may be referred to a specialist for additional advice and treatment.

The most common early tests ordered by physicians are the chest x-ray and CT Scan.

Depending on the results of the chest x-ray and CT, the next common test is sputum cytology which is used to rule out other diseases.
If mesothelioma is still expected, two semi-invasive tests may be ordered: pleural or peritoneal aspiration and/or a biopsy.

Mesothelioma Treatment

There is no known cure for mesothelioma, current treatment strategies are limited, and there exists no universally accepted standard therapy. Since mesothelioma is an uncommon cancer, it is rarely seen in most medical centers. However, specialists in leading treatment centers who have experience in treating mesothelioma have produced some long-term survivors with patients living 10 years.

Members of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Thoracic Surgery Division have extensive experience in treating patients with mesothelioma. Options for therapy include surgery, chemotherapy and combined approaches, utilizing multiple types of therapy (multimodality).

It is important that patients with mesothelioma are treated at centers with expertise in MPM to maximize expertise and allow innovative treatment combinations to be implemented with the greatest chance of success.

Recent Innovations

Despite overall improvement in survival with multimodality therapy, a cure is still elusive. Novel treatment strategies being developed for this locally aggressive tumor include intracavitary chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, brachytherapy and alternative medicine.