A reliable diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma (mesothelioma of the abdominal lining) can be difficult to make. A patient who is having difficulty breathing along with significant abdominal pain will almost certainly require an X-ray or CT scan to determine his or her internal condition. A reliable diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma (mesothelioma of the abdominal lining) can be difficult to make. A patient who is having difficulty breathing along with significant abdominal pain will almost certainly require an X-ray or CT scan to determine his or her internal condition.
If fluid, plaque or the presence of asbestos is detected in or around the patient’s lungs, heart or stomach, the likelihood that he or she has contracted mesothelioma is high. However, only the presence of malignant cells can guarantee that the patient is developing mesothelioma. In such cases, a specialist in pathology will likely be called in to examine a tissue biopsy to determine whether the patient has mesothelioma or not.
Several types of biopsy exist, but in the preliminary stages of a given case, or in circumstances where the condition of the patient is a factor, the pathologist may elect to obtain tissue samples by means of a minimally intrusive procedure called a needle biopsy.
In cases of suspected mesothelioma, needle biopsy involves the pathologist removing cells from the affected area through a hollow needle. This allows him or her to examine cells from the mesothelium (lining) of the area suspected of being cancerous, thus helping to determine the proper diagnosis.
