Fluid diagnosis

Mesothelioma is hard to diagnose. Even biopsies are not foolproof diagnostic tools. Mesothelioma can resemble other types of cancer, including some types of lung cancer and even some cancers of the ovaries.

For this reason, your doctor may want to have special laboratory tests done to confirm his diagnosis. Mesothelioma cells contain certain types of chemicals not found in cancers of the lung or ovary. With an electron microscope experts can view samples at 100 times the magnification of a regular microscope to help determine if the disease is really mesothelioma.