Mesothelioma Diagnosis

The varied and non-specific symptoms of mesothelioma can delay detection and diagnosis of this deadly disease. If you or a loved one in the Buffalo, NY, area is experiencing any mesothelioma symptoms, including shortness of breath, weight loss, fluid in the lungs or stomach pains, consult your doctor right away. Make sure that your physician is aware of any previous asbestos exposure and occupational risk factors.

If you or a loved one in the Buffalo area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact the asbestos injury lawyers of Belluck & Fox, LLP, today. Our Buffalo, NY, mesothelioma attorneys handle asbestos disease cases in every county in New York State, including Buffalo and the surrounding communities. We provide personalized and professional legal representation, and we can advise you of the legal options available for you and your family.

For more information, use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).

Initial Evaluation of Mesothelioma

Initial patient evaluations are critical in identifying those at risk of developing mesothelioma. To determine your risk factors and symptoms, your physician will complete a medical history that includes questions intended to help determine the timeframe and environment in which you may have been exposed to asbestos.

Communication between patient and doctor is important so that the earliest possible detection of mesothelioma can be made. It’s critical that you share with your physician all relevant information about your work history and possible asbestos exposure.

In addition to constructing a medical profile and detailed medical history, your doctor in the Buffalo area will perform a complete physical examination. During that physical exam your doctor may:

• Listen to your chest cavity as you inhale and exhale in order to evaluate your breath sounds. There may be an absence of breath sounds, or these sounds may be muted. The absence of, or muted nature of, breath sounds may be an indication of fluid in the chest cavity, or of pleural effusions.
• Listen to the chest cavity while having you make vowel sounds, comparing the sound resonance in the right and left chest cavities. Muted, or dull, sounds between the cavities could be an indicator of a buildup of fluid.
• Tap, or percuss, on the chest area, which can reveal a dull, solid thumping sound, rather than a hollow resonance. This may also indicate the presence of fluid, or a mass, in the chest cavity.
• Check for enlarged lymph nodes.

There are often few signs during an initial physical exam that would identify the presence of mesothelioma. On the basis of patient symptoms, medical history, the presence of specific risk factors (such as work environment and asbestos exposure), and a complete physical examination, the doctor can use one or more diagnostic tests to determine if the disease is present.

Diagnostic Tests for Mesothelioma

Doctors in Buffalo, NY, and around New York State use a variety of diagnostic procedures to determine if a patient has mesothelioma. Comparing results from imaging scans, tissue biopsies, pulmonary function tests, and other diagnostic techniques, the presence of mesothelioma can be identified.

Imaging Techniques. There are many available technologies that allow doctors to view, or image, a person’s internal organs and tissues. These sorts of images might show the presence of fluid or tumors.

• A chest x–ray may show an unusual thickening of the pleura, lowering of the lung fissures (spaces between the lobes of the lungs), an accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pleural effusion), and/or an irregular mass in the chest cavity.
• An abdominal x-ray may show an irregular mass among the abdominal organs.
• A CT or CAT (computed tomography) scan uses x-ray and computers to give more sophisticated and detailed pictures of the insides of the body than conventional x-rays. A rotating x-ray beam is used to take a series of pictures of the body from different angles. A computer combines the series of pictures to produce a detailed cross-sectional image of a specific part of the body. The CT scan allows a radiologist to see distinct aspects of the lungs and pleura.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses a strong magnetic field and radiowaves to scan the body. There is no harmful radiation involved. This imaging method produces a series of cross-sectional pictures. MRI scans are useful for viewing “soft tissues” in the body and can show the extent of mesothelioma. New MRI techniques combine surface imaging techniques with quick breath-holding sequences and gadolinium contrast medium; these provide images which detect tumor growth in the pleura and thoracic wall better than the previous methods. MRI images tend to be quite clear and are superior to routine x–ray images.


• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans use a camera that produces powerful images of the body’s biological functions. Because cancers and other disease processes metabolize sugars at a higher rate than normal tissues or organs, the PET scan uses tracers to indicate where there is abnormal metabolic activity and can pinpoint the regions of active disease. PET scans can also identify extremely small cancerous cells, indicate benign or malignant cells, and help determine whether treatment therapies are working.

Pathological Tests. Mesothelioma is ultimately diagnosed by pathological examination. For this, a biopsy is performed, in which tissue is removed from the body and examined with a microscope by a pathologist. The pathologist then provides a definitive diagnosis in a pathology report.

How the biopsy is performed may vary, depending upon the location of the tissue to be examined.

• A tissue sample can be removed by fine-needle aspiration, in which a physician removes a tiny piece of tissue with a small needle. Tissue from a pleural or pericardial tumor also can be obtained using a relatively new technique called thoracoscopy. A thoracoscope (telescope-like instrument connected to a video camera) is inserted through a small incision into the chest. The doctor can see the tumor through the thoracoscope and can use special forceps to take a tissue biopsy. A laparoscopy can be used to see and obtain a biopsy of a peritoneal tumor. In this procedure, a flexible tube is attached to a video camera that is inserted into the abdominal cavity via small incisions. Fluid can also be collected during thoracoscopy or laparoscopy.
• A bronchoscopy may be performed if pleural mesothelioma is suspected. In this process, the doctor inserts a flexible lighted tube down the trachea and into the bronchi to check for masses in the airway. At that time, small samples of abnormal-appearing tissue may also be removed for testing.
• Lymph nodes are collections of immune system cells that help the body fight infection. By examining the lymph nodes, the doctor can determine if the cancer has spread. During a mediastinoscopy, a patient has a lighted tube inserted under the sternum (chest bone) at the neck level and then moved down into the chest. The surgeon can see the lymph nodes and take tissue samples to check for cancer. This procedure can also help the physician determine if you have lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs). PFTs encompass a wide variety of tests that evaluate the entire respiratory system. The tests are useful in the assessment and diagnosis of pulmonary disease and aid in determining a course of treatment. PFTs can be a simple peak flow measurement, or complex body plethysmography and ventilation/perfusion scans which are performed in hospitals and clinics. PFTs can also be useful in monitoring patient response to treatment.

Although mesothelioma can often be difficult to detect initially, the above medical procedures and diagnostic tests can lead to a clear diagnosis. Early medical diagnosis is one of the primary variables affecting long-term prognosis.

Staging. If the result of diagnostic testing is a finding of pleural mesothelioma, then the physician will need to determine the “stage” of the disease in order to arrive at the best treatment plan. The stage of the disease refers to its extent, or how much of the body it affects.

• Stage I pleural mesothelioma is “localized,” meaning that it is limited to an isolated area.
• Stage II mesothelioma may have spread to an adjacent area.
• Stage III mesothelioma may have spread to other tissues or structures in the body, and it may have affected the lymph nodes.
• Stage IV mesothelioma means that the cancer has become advanced and spread throughout a larger portion of the body, possibly including distant parts of the body.

Contact Our Buffalo Mesothelioma Illness Attorneys Today

If you or a loved one in the Buffalo, New York, area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the asbestos injury attorneys of Belluck & Fox, LLP, can help. We handle mesothelioma cases from Buffalo and the surrounding communities. Use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).