Diagnosis and Staging

Diagnosis and staging malignant pleural mesothelioma

Diagnosing malignant pleural mesothelioma requires a biopsy, which can be done in different ways. To see if the cancer has spread (staging), doctors may recommend various scans and tests. Surgical treatment is usually an option if the tumor is limited to one side of the chest. Diagnosis and staging may include:

CT guided needle biopsy

This is a procedure when a needle is inserted into the tumor to sample it, under guidance of a CT scan. More information. 

Thoracoscopy with biopsy

This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which a camera is inserted through a small incision in the chest, and which has high accuracy for the diagnosis of mesothelioma. 

Integrated PET-CT scan

In one setting, our patients undergo a high-quality CT of the entire body and an integrated PET scan which shows the metabolic activity of the tumor. Together, the spread of mesothelioma is identified. More information. 

Cervical mediastinoscopy or endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)

Sometimes it is necessary to biopsy lymph nodes in the chest to understand if mesothelioma has spread to these locations. Cervical mediastinoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) are minimally invasive procedures that sample these lymph nodes for microscopic evaluation. 

Diagnostic laparoscopy

Malignant pleural mesothelioma can spread from the chest to the abdominal cavity. Sometimes it is necessary to evaluate this potential spread with a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which a small camera is inserted through a small incision in the abdominal wall.