Initial symptoms include:
- Blood in the sputum (fluid) or coughing up blood
- Chest Pain
- Development of lumps under the skin on the chest
- Difficulty swallowing
- Fatigue and shortness of breath, persistent dry cough without phlegm
- Inexplicable weight loss
- Sweating or fever
Your physician orders X-rays
- X-rays determine fluid in the lungs
- This usually indicates pneumonia
- Your doctor will tell you that you are suffering from pneumonia
- You will be prescribed medication and other treatments
- Mesothelioma can easily be mistaken with a cold, pneumonia or other lung diseases
Physicians can recommend 2 treatments for pneumonia:
- Antibiotics (10 day treatment), or
- Draining your fluid from the pleural cavity
- No cancer cells are detected in fluid at this point
- Your doctor will decide which antibiotic is right for your symptoms
X-rays after treatment show clear lungs
- Doctor orders follow up X-rays after you finished your treatment
- Patient should return for check up in 30 days
- X-rays will show your doctor whether you still have any fluid left in your lungs
- You will be prescribed a new treatment if the doctor sees fluid in your lungs again
New X-rays show fluid in pleural cavity again
- Your doctor will try the same treatment
- You will be prescribed antibiotics, possibly more concentrated and/or your fluid will be drained from your lungs
- Patient gets PET scans and CT scans
- PET scans and CT scans allow your doctor to get a detailed view of your lungs
PET and CT scans show a problem
- Imaging scans show a possible underlying cause or recurrent pneumonia
- PET scans and CT scans are often used when X-rays do not provide sufficient details of a targeted area
- Patient is referred to a surgeon for an appointment (up to 15 days)
The surgeon schedules a biopsy appointment
- Getting an appointment can take up to 10 days
- A biopsy is a sample of tissue taken from to body and examined to determine the presence, cause or extent of a disease
- Your surgeon will let you know what preparations you need to make before your biopsy
The surgeon takes the biopsy, while the patient stays at the hospital
- Biopsy is usually done via VATS and requires a 3-day hospital stay
- Lab work can take up to 10 days
- The sample may be chemically treated or frozen and sliced into very thin sections
- The sections are placed on glass slides, stained to enhance contrast and studied under a microscope
Results of the biopsy
- Mesothelioma is confirmed if biopsy tests positive for the disease
- Your surgeon will guide you to a specialist to help you cope with the disease and receive adequate help
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