The Maune Raichle Law Firm

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium which is almost always malignant and usually carries a dismal prognosis. 70% of all cases of mesothelioma originate in the pleural mesothelium, which surrounds the lungs. Malignant cases of mesothelioma are extremely aggressive and tend to advance from stage one to stage four very quickly. Starting as a small grouping of abnormal cells, mesothelioma can quickly spread, becoming a series of tumors within only a few months. The rate of progression of each case of mesothelioma is unique; however, the malignancy of most mesothelioma cases is quite high and treatment can prove difficult even when diagnosis is made early.

Treatment of a highly malignant cancer like mesothelioma requires early detection which can be extremely difficult given the lack of symptoms in the early stages of the disease. The early symptoms of mesothelioma are often are hard to recognize for a patient and can easily lead to misdiagnosis in the case of an inexperienced or unfamiliar doctor. Many doctors have in the past, and in a few cases continue to, misdiagnose patients with age related illnesses which are far less serious and forgo any type of conclusive imaging during the early stages. Imaging such as CAT scans, MRIs, and X-Rays are the key tools in the diagnosis of mesothelioma and need to be used in order for a proper diagnosis to be made.

In the case of pleural mesothelioma, symptoms such as difficulty breathing, painful breathing, and shortness of breath can be caused by any number of illnesses. Any top of chest image will produce a clear picture of the cancer within the chest of a patient and clearly tell a doctor the patient has some form of cancer. Although it is often easy to diagnose mesothelioma, it may not always be easy to differentiate mesothelioma and lung cancer as both cancers have the ability spread to surrounding organs and the tumors seen on the mesothelium are often lung cancer. A biopsy of the mesothelium is often done to confirm diagnosis so that proper treatment can begin.