If your doctor suspects Mesothelioma, he or she will order X-rays; if these reveal abnormalities in the lungs or the mesothelium, your doctor may recommend that you go for a computed tomography, or CT, scan. This is an advanced radiographic method, in which a computer combines several X-ray images into a two-dimensional image. In this way, doctors can see a detailed picture of the targeted area, usually the lungs.

A CT scan will help determine not only whether mesothelioma tumors are present, but also their location and size. Additionally, it may reveal tumors that have metastasized, or grown, beyond the lungs into the chest wall or lymph nodes. Pleural effusion, or excess fluid in the cavity surrounding the lungs, and pleural thickening, or scarring of the lungs' lining, can also be detected by a CT scan.

CT scans are painless and relatively brief procedures, depending on the type of scanning equipment used and the area that is to be scanned. Usually, however, the scan will take between 20 minutes and an hour to complete. During this time, you will lie on a special couch, while the machine rotates 180 degrees around your body. The machine emits thin x-ray beams at several points, and special crystals opposite the beams then record the absorption rate of different thicknesses of tissue and bone.

When the CT scan is complete, a computer will take all of the information gathered and compile it into a detailed picture of your lungs and pleura. In effect, it will construct a two-dimensional, or cross-sectional, image of your chest cavity.

The staging of the cancer and which course of Mesothelioma treatment to take will depend largely on the results of the CT scan, as well as of other diagnostic tests. Most cancers respond better to treatment the earlier they are detected, and mesothelioma is no exception.

Mesothelioma, which is almost always linked to asbestos exposure, has a long latency period. This means that it may be years, or even decades, before symptoms appear. If you have ever been exposed to asbestos in the workplace or home, you may be at risk for mesothelioma. That is why it's important to see your doctor regularly, and to request diagnostic techniques like body scans if you suspect any illness.

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer Resource