Uncommon Diagnostic Challenges in Epithelioid Mesothelioma Why Diagnosing Epithelioid Mesothelioma Can Be Tricky Mesothelioma is a deceptive cancer, often mimicking other malignancies, making an accurate diagnosis one of the toughest challenges in pathology. In most cases, a combination of histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and electron microscopy (EM) is enough to distinguish epithelioid mesothelioma from other cancers. However, some rare and unusual scenarios create gray areas, where even the best diagnostic tools struggle.
Mesothelioma Staging: What You Need to Know Why Staging is Crucial in Mesothelioma If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, understanding staging is essential. The stage of mesothelioma determines treatment options, affects prognosis, and plays a key role in clinical trials and research. However, unlike other cancers, mesothelioma presents unique staging challenges due to its plate-like growth rather than forming a single mass.
For the past 25 years, at least five different staging systems have been proposed for mesothelioma.
Surgery and Staging of Malignant Mesothelioma Understanding the Role of Surgery in Mesothelioma Treatment Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, and for many years, surgery was considered to have limited value beyond diagnosis and symptom relief. However, in recent years, advances in surgical techniques, combined with chemotherapy and radiation, have changed the landscape of mesothelioma treatment.
Surgery for mesothelioma generally falls into three main categories:
Understanding Diagnostic Surgery for Mesothelioma If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, one of the first steps in treatment is accurate staging and diagnosis. Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that requires precise surgical procedures to determine the extent of the disease.
Surgical procedures for mesothelioma fall into three categories:
Diagnostic – Used to confirm mesothelioma and assess disease spread. Palliative – Focused on symptom relief, such as fluid drainage.
Understanding Potentially Curative Surgery for Mesothelioma If you or a loved one is facing malignant mesothelioma, you may have heard about surgical options aimed at a cure. While mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer, certain surgical approaches—combined with other therapies—offer hope for prolonged survival.
There are two primary surgeries used in an attempt to remove all visible disease:
Pleurectomy/Decortication (P/D) – A lung-sparing surgery that removes the pleura but preserves lung function.