The diagnosis of mesothelioma begins with a CT or MRI scan to detect its presence and if the results show any positive sign then a biopsy is conducted. The initial scans help the doctor to view the affected area so that he can prepare a suitable plan to counter it. The doctor may do a minor operation to get a tissue sample of your lungs or other body part and run a biopsy on that. This is known as open pleural biopsy. While there are many other techniques to find the evidences of mesotheliom, experts consider pleural biopsy to be the most convincing way of diagnosing mesothelioma.
There are more than a few ways in which the doctor can perform a tissue biopsy in order to test for mesothelioma. A thoracoscopy or laparoscopy involves making a small cut and then keeping an eye over the infected area with the help of a tiny camera. Your doctor may do a needle biopsy in which a hollow needle is inserted into the chest cavity in order to collect a tissue sample which is then examined by the pathologist.
However, with open biopsy the doctor can collect a bigger tissue sample which makes diagnosis easier and even more precise which is why most physicians adhere to this technique. Once the tissue samples have been collected, a detailed examination of the cells is performed to check for malignant cells in the tissue. When all of this has been done, some more tests are performed to determine the extent of mesothelioma so that treatment can be done accordingly.