Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/c26.dxr/00076_Field_SRC.c26.A.8.txt

Text File | 1997-01-28 | 1KB | 18 lines

Imaging
• CT scan to assess the extent of disease and to assist decision-making on therapy.  Chest x-rays will often
  reveal thickening of the pleural membranes in half the patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Endoscopy and Biopsy
• If mesothelioma is suspected, attempts at a diagnostic biopsy should be made. Sometimes fluid removed during
  a chest "tap" (thoracentesis) may be examined for tumor cells in a way similar to a Pap test. A needle biopsy
  may also be done.
• Most cases require an open surgical biopsy, since needle biopsies seldom produce enough diagnostic material.
  Since a simple biopsy done with a surgical incision into the chest under general anesthesia (thoracotomy) may
  make it technically difficult to remove the tumor later, the surgeon doing the biopsy should be prepared to do
  the definitive surgical treatment if that seems appropriate.
• The usual examination of the biopsied tissue under the microscope will often prove that the tissue is malignant
  but may not distinguish adenocarcinoma of the lung from mesothelioma. So a specimen is often processed by
  special methods electron microscopy and special stains—to help document the type of tumor.
• Cytology of the sputum either coughed up by the patient or obtained through a bronchoscopy may document
  a bronchogenic adenocarcinoma, which may not be visible on routine chest x-rays.