Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient’s medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. A complete physical examination may be performed, including x-rays of the chest or abdomen and lung function tests. A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI may also be useful. A CT scan is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. In an MRI, a powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures are viewed on a monitor and can also be printed.
A biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. In a biopsy, a surgeon or a medical oncologist (a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer) removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples. If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a peritoneoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small opening in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument called a peritoneoscope into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.
If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of the disease. Staging involves more tests in a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.
Mesothelioma is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated. It is classified as advanced if it has spread beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs.

Diagnosis mesothelioma is a scary subject you don’t want to talk or hear about. It is a heart wrenching news for you and your family. But fortunatelly, over the years scientist has been able through research to detect and treat mesothelioma. There are a lots sites online filled with helpful informations. There are also support groups and help mechanisms put in place for every stage of this dreadful disease. Mesothelioma disgnosis does not guaranteed a grim prognisis; therefore, in most cases early detection of the disease as with any cancer is important so that it can be treated early.Simply put, the diagnosis of mesothelioma is the first step on a road to discovery. There are many websites to aid in the publics’ research of mesothelioma and the warning signs that lead to early diagnosis and subsequently the blessing of early treatment. It is common to treat a diagnosis of mesothelioma with surgery and chemotherapy or surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Mesothelioma is also known as the asbestos cancer. Mesothelioma shows subtle variations from asbestosis or asbestos pleural disease. Regardless it is highly recommended if you have worked around asbestos in anyway or form that you are checked for mesothelioma on a regular basis. Early diagnosis is imperative. Some of the varied warning signs include shortness of breath as well as pain in the lower back or pain at the side of the chest. Others signs may include hoarseness, difficulty swallowing or sweating and fevers.

Prognosis defers significantly among people that have been disgnosed with mesothelioma and this depends on a number of factors. These causes have a significant impact on the speed of recovery; the size of the cancer, what part of the body it is found, and how far it has spread. And also, how the cancer cells looks under the microscope, and their respond to treatment as well as the age of the patients has direct bearings on recovery time.

There are legal issues involved with a diagnosis of mesothelioma. There are several lawsuits against companies whose employees were exposed to asbestos. These are definitely matters to be researched if you are among the individuals who qualify involvement in a lawsuit. If you are uncertain whether you qualify, you can simply fill out an online form and an attorney will be happy to talk with you. It is not necessary but there are good reasons to acquire an attorney who is knowledgeable in mesothelioma litigation.

There are speciality lawyers and law firms for mesothelioma cases. Most of these specialized attorneys have an impressive settlement record and successes in obtaining verdicts in the courtroom as opposed to settlements out of court. As in most cases, there is money to be dispersed though the monetary value of the settlements are not as important as the impact lawsuits like these will eventually make in the safety issues surrounding workplaces where potentially harmful chemicals can be inhaled or absorbed into peoples bodies.

Pleural Mesothelioma is one of the three different types of mesothelioma cancer. The other two types are pericardial and peritoneal. Out of the three types, pleural is the most common to be diagnosed, at seventy-five percent of all Mesothelioma diagnosis.Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs, which is called the pleura. When cancer is in the pleura it is referred to as pleural mesothelioma, along with the lungs, there is a thin membrane which is called the mesothelium, thus, the name of the cancer. The mesothelium’s function is to provide fluid for the lungs so that they can contract and expand. The mesothelium is vital in order to breath.

Pleural mesothelioma develops when a person is constantly exposed to asbestos. A lot of patients who have pleural mesothelioma were exposed to the asbestos while at work.

When asbestos fibers are inhaled on a continuous basis they become embedded in the pleura. When they embed themselves in the pleura it settles and causes inflammation. With the inflammation comes the danger of cancerous tumors. It can take years before the cancer surfaces.

Symptoms for mesothelioma do not usually occur until the late stages. Some of the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest pain, fluid around the lungs, and difficulty speaking or hoarseness.

These symptoms can be ,and often are, confused with other common illness, which makes pleural mesothelioma extremely hard to diagnose correctly. In most cases the first symptom of pleural mesothelioma is chest pain. The chest pain is caused by growing tumors in the pleural space. The tumors also cause the pleural space to fill with fluid.

There is no cure for pleural mesothelioma but there are many treatment options and researchers are working on more treatment options daily.

Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, and that could have been 20 years ago, or 30 or even 50 years ago. It takes all those years for the tiny asbestos fibers to work their way deeply into the pleura, the membrane around the lungs. They may even penetrate all the way to the air sacs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.In a minority of cases, the fibers work their way into the pericardium, the membrane around the heart. If the asbestos was ingested (from air-borne fibers getting into food) they will work their way into the peritoneum, the abdominal cavity membrane. Or alternatively, the fibers may travel to the abdomen from the lung area in the lymphatic system.

Immune System Failure
Once those fibers are in the mesothelium, the body cannot get rid of them. Normally, when there are any cells the body regards as “foreign”, such as a flu virus, special defense cells rush to the site and attempt to engulf it. They are called macrophages and are part of the body’s immune system. They will usually carry the “foreigner” away in the bloodstream to be excreted. (Of course, the effectiveness of this reaction varies from person to person.)

When macrophages rush to engulf asbestos fibers, they have met their match. Asbestos was used so widely for so many decades because it has several remarkable properties. It is a flame-retardant, blocks sound, and does not conduct electricity. And it resists chemical change. It defeats the macrophages, which die in the battle and accumulate in the area as debris, or change their secretions and generate more free radicals. It appears that asbestos can suppress the immune system, and more research is needed to fully understand why and how. At any rate, eventually a tumor forms and begins to grow.

Diagnostic Steps
Mesothelioma diagnosis begins with a review of the medical history and if it reveals any history of asbestos exposure, the doctor’s antennae will go up. A physical exam follows, and a chest X-ray.
* There may be lung function tests to assess the volume of air that the lungs can hold and the speed at which they can inhale and exhale.
* Asbestos exposure typically creates a thickening in the lung tissue, so if the X-ray reveals this, a CT scan or MRI will be performed.
* If fluid has accumulated in the lungs, some will be aspirated with a syringe and tested for abnormal cells. At this point, the doctor may diagnose tuberculosis or heart failure.
* To confirm the presence of mesothelioma, a biopsy will be done. The doctor will take a sample of tissue and send it to a pathologist to examine under a microscope.

It is not fully understood at the molecular level how mesothelioma begins. It is still a fairly rare form of cancer, although incidence rates have risen during the past 20 years. In Western countries, it appears between seven and forty times per million people.

Most people who are being diagnosed with mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos on the job. Adequate protection was not provided by the employer, such as breathing masks or special clothing worn only on the job. Workers who came home wearing the same clothing as they had worked in brought asbestos fibers home with them. That meant that whoever did their laundry could well have been exposed to the asbestos also.

Labour MP John MacDougall died of Malignant Mesothlioma, caused by asbestos exposure, had again highlighted the poor prognosis of mesothelioma victims. All ex-shipyard workers are cautioned by Mesothelioma-Junction.Com to immediately consult their specialist at the first sign of what may be symptoms of mesothelioma.Labour MP John MacDougall, Labour MP and close friend of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, sadly died at the age of 60, on 13 August 2008, within 24 months of receiving the diagnosis malignant mesothelioma.

He passed away at the Victoria Hospital, in Kilkaldy and his funeral is set for Monday 18 August 2008. He revealed in May 2007 that he had serious health problems.

After being diagnosed with asbestosis he had one lung removed at the Guy’s Hospital in London.

Labour MP John MacDougall blamed his asbestos disease on his work in the shipyards in 1960’s. That was before asbestos regulations were implemented globally by developed nations. The average asbestos mesothelioma victim normally lives for only 6 to 24 months after being diagnosed.

Many mesothelioma treatment options are currently available but they are yet unable to affectively heal asbestosis mesothelioma patients. This well loved politician had vowed to beat the disease and return to work, after undergoing a trial procedure to try and beat the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

Labour MP John MacDougall contributed his education to the excellent technical training that Rosyth Naval Dockyard gave to its apprentices. A boilermaker by trade, he was employed for a period as an engineer in the dockyard and then in the mines. From 1964 John worked at the RGC oil rig construction yard in Methil.

His political career commenced in 1982 when he was elected to the Fife County Council.

Even though society at large has known about the dangers of asbestos exposure and asbestos poisoning for decades, industrial tycoons and government departments continued to use or produce asbestos products to sustain their profits, employment figures and/or economic growth.

However, lobbyists for asbestos toxin health concerns and regulation, eventually succeeded. So varying efficiencies of asbestos mesothelioma law was written and implemented globally.

Ship yards, boilermakers, dock yards, mining are all terms that are statistically stacked with a high level of ocupational asbestos risk.

The mesothelioma death of labour MP John MacDougall serves as yet another example in this regard.

Even a very brief asbestos exposure can lead to a range of chronic and fatal medical dispositions known as asbestos poisoning diseases.

For many years, asbestos insulation was a preferred thermal component of boilers due to its heat resistant properties.

What is asbestos and what does asbestos look like? All forms of asbestos are composed of fibers with widths less than 1 micrometer, that occur in bundles and have very long lengths. This is called fibrillar. Asbestos identify with particularly fine fibers and is sometimes also called amianthus.

So asbestos is a classification of minerals with a unique, crystalline fiber texture. The main groups are: Chrysotile (“white asbestos”), Amosite (“brown asbestos”), Crocodolite (“blue asbestos”), Tremolite (Amhibole), Anthrophyllite and Actinolite. View asbestos pictures asbestos pictures here

Why are asbestos fibers dangerous? The microscopic fibers become easily airborne. The asbestos fibers are then easily breathed in through the nose and mouth. It becomes lodged forever in the lungs or other parts of the body.

The body’s immune system targets these fibers to break it down, but the body acids excreted to dissolve the asbestos always fail. The lesion caused by the asbestos fibres, is called asbestos injury.

Asbestos symptoms begin slowly and unnoticed. Since the asbestos particles are indestructible, connective scar tissue builds up around them.

It may take between 5 to 50 years for the first symptoms to appear, gradually developing into asbestosis mesothelioma (asbestos disease mesothelioma.) For Labour MP John MacDougall it took 40 years. Shortness of breath with an absence of coughing is one of the first asbestos poisoning symptoms.

If the scar tissue is allowed to develop undiagnosed, the presence of body acids causes some cells to mutate into malignant mesothelioma cancer cells.

Once asbestosis mesothelioma cancer had advanced, other organs begin to weaken from the lack of oxygen. The heart is especially vulnerable.

Occupational asbestos risk, even in modern day industry, can not be over emphasized. This matter is once again being brought to the attention of environment and health concious groups, by the sad loss of Labour MP John MacDougall.

He was a pillar in society, member of Scottish Constitutional Convention Vice-President and Treasurer of the Assembly of European Regions. He was also asked if he would act as liaison officer between the AER and the Conference of Periphereal Maritime Regions

For more information about the diagnosis malignant mesothelioma and to browse asbestos pictures, visit http://www.mesothelioma-Junction.Com

Mesothelioma is a cancer in the lining of the lung, called the pleura as a result of significant asbestos exposure. It is a silent killer that only produce symptoms 20 to 40 years from the initial exposure when it is often too late for curative treatments.Because most patients have only months to live after diagnosis, you need to know what to do right from the very beginning to safeguard your survival and the welfare of your family member.

Step #1 Seek a second opinion. One doctor can put you strictly on palliative (comfort)treatment while others will give you treatments to kill cancer cells. Get your doctor to run through each treatment review to see which one is applicable to you. Should you decide to try alternative treatment to complement your conventional therapies, talking to more medical experts can also give you new insights and ensure that those treatments dont’t clash.

Step #2 Engage a mesothelioma lawyer to represent you in filing for compensation. Mesothelioma is predominantly caused by asbestos, a known cancer-causing agent that kept on being used for more than 50 years despite its hazardous nature. A good mesothelioma lawyer not will ensure you get in the justice you deserve in financial compensation to pay for medical fees and other expenses.

Note that certain states have a time restriction in filing for a claim, so make sure you do this soon.

When doing this, be sure to ask your lawyer questions such as his past experience and success rates. Since mesothelioma law is considered a lucrative field in law, there are too many lawyer who jump into this field when they do not specialize in it, thus having lower chance of victory.

Step #3 Do not stop at conventional treatment at the doctor’s office. Seek out alternative mesothelioma cancer treatment such as traditional chinese medicine (TCM), Brandt grape therapy, Bill Henderson’s protocol, Simoncini baking soda treatments and other alternative can reportedly reverse the effect of cancer.

You’ll be surprised that there are so many things you can do where you feel helpless before. Alternative cancer treatment is a broad subject and it offers exciting possibilities though most do not or cannot afford to have clinical proven research done.

Step#4 Change your lifestyle and diet. Needless to say, you must absolutely stop smoking. Stay away from smoke-filled environment and inhaling second-hand smoke. Detox your body regularly and adopt a mainly vegan diet. Exercise at least half an hour a day everyday to keep you active.

Step#5 Maintain a positive attitude in fighting mesothelioma. Read up on it, understand it and you will know how to contain it. New drugs and treatments are found all the time so be sure to keep yourself informed.

Patients are usually too devastated to realise that there are 101 things they can do to change or improvised the situation they are in, upon learning about their illness. When they do eventually see the whole picture, it’s too late to act. Do not make the same mistake, with a little knowledge and guidance, you can beat mesothelioma.

Diagnosing mesothelioma can be a bit difficult as symptoms are similar to those of lung cancer. Thought to have a fair diagnosis X-Rays, CT Scans, PET scans and MRI scans can be carried out.However to get accurate conclusion, a physician usually recommends biopsy. Biopsy is a surgical procedure to collect tissue samples or fluid and further analyzed under microscope. Through biopsy test, type of cells can be determined so that appropriate treatment can be carried out. The biopsy procedure is carried out depending upon the affected area. If the patient is suffering from the accumulation of fluids in chest (pleural effusion), then a long hollow needle can be inserted in chest cavity and sample of fluid is aspirated. Same procedure is carried out if the person has fluid accumulation in abdomen or in heart area.

There are also different ways to take a sample tissue like to insert a needle in chest cavity and then rotated it, the tissue samples get collected as needle is taken out. However this procedure may prove dangerous as there is chance of tumor seeding along with the needle tract and may be radiation therapy can be applied. The tissue sample can also be obtained by a new technique called thoroscopy. In this type of procedure thoroscope (a telescope-like instrument connected to a video camera) is inserted through a small incision in the patient’s chest and the physican can see tumor through thoroscope. With the aid of special forecep, a sample of the tumor can then be removed. This technique is usually done under a local anesthesia and is usually performed in the case of pleural mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma.

In peritoneal mesothelioma, laparoscopy is performed to obtain tumor sample. This procedure is similar to that of thoroscopy which is performed in abdominal cavity instead of chest. In this procedure tube is attached to video camera and is inserted in abdominal cavity through a small cut.

There are other different procedures also to get the sample tissues such as VATS (Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery), in this procedure several small cuts are made in the chest wall, a camera and required surgical instruments are inserted to collect tissue samples. Mediastinoscopy, where breast bone tiny incision is made and tube is inserted and then moved down in chest. Peritoneoscopy, physician can see inside abdomen. Bronchoscopy, is used to diagnose pleural mesothelioma though inserting a tube in bronchi.

Though not directly exposed to asbestos in high concentrations, family and friends of workers who are heavily exposed are at some risk, as evidence shows. This contamination can come from the clothing of a someone who works with asbestos, living near an asbestos mine, plant or other location, breathing the air in those locations where asbestos exists is large quantities, drinking liquids that have been exposed to asbestos, eating foods grown in dirt or otherwise ingesting dirt that has been exposed to asbestos. Ultimately, exposing your family and friends to asbestos might cause one or more of them to develop mesothelioma many years later.Exposure of Children

Asbestos fibers can be found in dirt and water supplies near workplaces that mine asbestos or use it extensively in industry. Children are known to drink more fluid per body size, and eat more dirt than adults. Children may ingest dirt by eating it directly, eating foods with dirty hands, or eating food that was dropped on the ground. Children’s lung structure is different than adults, and their fragile respiratory and digestive systems may be more susceptible to inhaled or ingested asbestos particles than an adult’s. Since mesothelioma does not show up until many years after the first exposure, 20 to 50 years by most estimates, it is difficult to estimate whether children are at greater risk than adults, though it is reasonable to consider this possibility.

Resources, Income and Health Care Benefits

If you become unable to work before reaching retirement age, you and your family will suffer the loss of your income and health benefits. Treatment for mesothelioma is expensive, so, even if you qualify for social security disability (SSD) and Medicare coverage, you will go many months, possibly years without income or Medicare coverage before your social security disability is approved, and another 25 months before you are eligible for Medicare.

If your social security disability application is approved, your income will be less than half what you are accustomed to earning, and Medicare does not cover all costs. You will have to pay insurance premiums for Medicare part A, B, (or C) and D, further reducing your usable income.

If you have not worked 40 quarters by the time you become disabled, you will not qualify for social security disability, but might qualify for supplemental security disability insurance (SSDI), and state Medicaid. SSDI is a significantly smaller income than SSD, and Medicaid is usually more limited medical coverage than Medicare, though there is no premium.

Quality of Life and Relationships

In addition to exposing family and friends to contamination from which they might later suffer health consequences, their lives, as well as these relationships, will be affected by your illness.

• If your wife was not formerly employed, she may need to go to work
• She will not be as available to care for you
• If your wife was already working, your income will be reduced to what she can bring in
• You are likely to have medical expenses that are not covered, even by Medicare
• You may need additional help with activities of daily living, such as dressing, fixing meals, taking medications, picking up prescriptions, traveling to the doctor, and more
• You may not be able to play with your children or grandchildren, or enjoy the company of friends and family as others your age might do
• You may find that fewer of them visit for social reasons
• Many friends, as well as some family members, will drift away, not knowing how to relate to you anymore

If you are fortunate enough to have good friends, they will likely be willing to help you, but your relationships will change along with your activities. Mesothelioma will cause your life will change in every way possible.

Diagnosing mesothelioma is not an easy job. In fact many doctors are still unfamiliar with the symptoms that can to be attributed to this cancer. Moreover the symptoms of the disease do not generally manifest for several years after contraction. This makes this disease even more difficult to be diagnosed at a proper time and often it becomes too late for any doctor to do anything really constructive. So the first thing that you should do is to inform your doctor in advance if you are regularly exposed to asbestos. Otherwise after seeing the symptoms he may put those down to some other disease before testing for mesothelioma.

The diagnosis of mesothelioma begins with a CT or MRI scan to detect its presence and if the results show any positive sign then a biopsy is conducted. The initial scans help the doctor to view the affected area so that he can prepare a suitable plan to counter it. The doctor may do a minor operation to get a tissue sample of your lungs or other body part and run a biopsy on that. This is known as open pleural biopsy. While there are many other techniques to find the evidences of mesotheliom, experts consider pleural biopsy to be the most convincing way of diagnosing mesothelioma.

There are more than a few ways in which the doctor can perform a tissue biopsy in order to test for mesothelioma. A thoracoscopy or laparoscopy involves making a small cut and then keeping an eye over the infected area with the help of a tiny camera. Your doctor may do a needle biopsy in which a hollow needle is inserted into the chest cavity in order to collect a tissue sample which is then examined by the pathologist.

However, with open biopsy the doctor can collect a bigger tissue sample which makes diagnosis easier and even more precise which is why most physicians adhere to this technique. Once the tissue samples have been collected, a detailed examination of the cells is performed to check for malignant cells in the tissue. When all of this has been done, some more tests are performed to determine the extent of mesothelioma so that treatment can be done accordingly.