Mesothelioma Cancer Diagnosis - What Are the Initial Steps of the Diagnosis Process?

Usually an individual will seek medical advice from his family doctor complaining of certain symptoms such as persistent coughing, difficulty in breathing, pain in the chest/abdomen or a combination of these symptoms. Diagnosing mesothelioma is not an easy process. The symptoms of the disease are similar to other common alignments such as flu, bronchitis and heart disease, and so mesothelioma is frequently mistaken for something else.
It is important that the patient gives a complete medical and occupational history. Any exposure or possible exposure to asbestos should be clearly stated by the patient. Sometimes patients may be reluctant to mention any exposure to asbestos since this may have been only for a short time and many years in the past, and so the patient may feel that it is irrelevant to mention. However such exposure may also be enough for the development of mesothelioma. Any information regarding any exposure to asbestos will not only help the doctor to diagnose the disease but will also eliminate the need to perform unnecessary tests which may be both costly and uncomfortable.
At the clinic the physician, will ask you about the symptoms, the timing of occurrences of the symptoms and what makes them better or worse. He/she may ask if you suffer from other symptoms like fever, pain or weight loss. The physician will feel the areas where there is the pain and will listen to the chest of the patient in order to determine if there is any sign of accumulation of fluids.
Pleural effusion (fluid in the chest cavity) occurs in patients with pleural mesothelioma. Ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) occurs in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. Pericardial effusion (fluid in the pericardium) occurs in patients with pericardial mesothelioma. This accumulation of fluids in different areas might be detected during the physical examination. Otherwise they may be detected by using various tests.