Diagnosing Malignant Mesothelioma

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Malignant mesothelioma is cancer of the cells within the sac lining the lung and chest cavity, the abdomen and the heart. Pleural mesothelioma is cancer of the cells that make up the pleura, a membrane that lines the outside of the lungs and inside of the chest cavity.

Diagnostic Tests

• Blood Tests - including a complete blood count (CBC) and sedimentation rate (checks for the degree of inflammation within the body, which is often increased in the presence of cancer and other inflammatory conditions)
• Chest X-ray - may show increased thickness of the pleural lining and/or excess fluid around the lungs
• CT Scan (CAT Scan) - type of x-ray that uses a computer to make pictures of structures inside the body; will show more detailed images of changes in the pleural lining
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) a procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make pictures of structures inside the body; use is similar to a CT scan
• Biopsy the removal of tissue from the pleura for evaluation under a microscope by a pathologist