How to Diagnose Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer ?
Thursday, June 30, 2016
To diagnose either model of cancer, a doctor may perform an X-ray, a bronchoscopy or a biopsy. During a bronchoscopy, the doctor inserts a tube down the throat and into the airways of the lung to detect abnormalities such as visible tumor growth. If the doctor finds irregular growth, he or she may collect a cell sample and test it for cancer.
In a biopsy, the doctor removes a small portion of suspicious tissue and tests it for cancer growth. The doctor may be able to perform this procedure using only a needle and no incision. To collect a larger sample, however, he or she may need to perform a minor biopsy surgery.
Another test is performed only when doctors suspect a patient has lung cancer. In this test, called sputum cytology, the doctor collects and tests a sample of thick phlegm that the patient coughed up from the lungs. This test may reveal abnormalities like blood or cancerous cells in the phlegm.
How to treat These Cancers?
For mesothelioma and lung cancer, treatment options largely depend on how much cancer has spread. Most treatment plans include some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.
If the cancer is localized to the lung area, surgery may be able to remove all or most of the tumor growth. But surgeries vary by specific type of cancer.
For both models of cancer, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are also considered standard courses of treatment. If the mesothelioma or lung cancer is localized, either treatment can be used to shrink tumor growth and potentially kill all tumor cells. When used in this potentially curative way, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are typically combined with surgery. These treatments can still be used if cancer has spread beyond its original location. In these cases, treatments are palliative and aim to reduce symptoms.
Experimental therapies are being tested through clinical trials for both cancers. Some of these innovative therapies include immunotherapy, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy and cryotherapy. Photodynamic therapy is used more routinely in the treatment of lung cancer than in mesothelioma.