How to establish accurate diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases

The most accurate methods used by medical professionals to diagnose asbestos lung disease are:

• A biopsy. Biopsies involve extracting tissue and fluid samples directly from the patient's lungs and analyzing them.
• Sputum cytology. This generally non-invasive test is performed only when doctors suspect lung cancer. The patient coughs up a sample of thick mucus from their lungs and the medical professionals examine the sample to determine the presence of abnormal cells.

An asbestos lung cancer diagnosis can be difficult due to cancer's similarities with other diseases and respiratory infections and the patient or the primary care physician may not be initially alerted of the gravity of the situation.

Initial symptoms - such as a cough or a sensation of tightness and pain in the chest area - are similar to asthma and pneumonia, while later symptoms are similar to mesothelioma and asbestosis. That is why, to guide all efforts in the right direction, pulmonary issues of any kind should be immediately presented to the doctor if the patient has a work history in industries that were at high-risk for asbestos exposure.

Furthermore, it can be a matter of decades - even up to 50 years - before the inhaled asbestos fibers develop into diseases. Thus, it becomes especially important to include a thorough and attentive look at the occupational and medical history of a patient in case there is a reason to suspect exposure to asbestos.

If you believe you have an asbestos disease, contact us today to receive a free case evaluation.

There are several methods for diagnosing bronchial cancer:

• A chest x-ray. If this test shows an abnormality it can prompt further evaluation with other imaging methods, such as a chest CT scan.
• A PET scan. This is the most sensitive way of accurately staging bronchial cancer and finding the spread of the disease.
• A lung biopsy. This can be done to confirm the diagnosis and to learn about cancer's molecular profile. The gold standard is currently a test called next-generation sequencing as it detects the greatest number of treatable mutations and is faster and cost-effective.
• A liquid biopsy. If medical professionals are looking for mutations, they can also do this simple blood test. Tests like PD-L1 testing and tumor mutation burden testing can estimate who will best respond to the immunotherapy drugs now available for bronchial cancer.

Each person that was exposed to asbestos has a unique experience with the event, meaning that many factors need to be considered to assess their particular case. These range from their overall health to how much time they spent in mediums contaminated by the toxic mineral to the density of the asbestos concentration in a given space and time interval.

In the United States, asbestos was heavily used until regulations started being implemented in the late 1970s. In the period before the general ban on asbestos, however, all the leading industries acquired large quantities of the mineral, thus exposing millions of workers to its damaging effects.

Furthermore, manufacturers would pour asbestos fibers into equipment and protective clothing to increase the safety of their employees, as the mineral has impressive resistance to fire and is non-corrosive and easy to mix in with other compounds. Asbestos would also be present at the workplace in the form of insulation, covering wirings and pipes or turbines, but it would just as much be in the flooring or the paint covering the walls.

Diagnosing mesothelioma can be very difficult since similar symptoms may be caused by several conditions. That is why, before performing a physical exam, medical professionals will take a careful history, including questions about employment history.

To establish the diagnosis, doctors often do imaging studies that may include X-rays of your chest and abdomen, CT scans, MRI scans, or PET scans.

If the X-ray shows the accumulation of fluid in the chest, otherwise known as pleural effusion, you may be suffering from an asbestos-related disease. Only detected by an X-ray but often announced by a feeling of pain in the chest, pleural effusion occurs a lot earlier than other illnesses caused by asbestos. At the same time, however, the condition can be the warning sign of the more serious mesothelioma. A background of asbestos exposure might prompt your doctor to follow up with more tests to identify the exact reason that has led to the build-up of the fluid.

It is generally the case that a disease like mesothelioma will first show up in the form of nodules but pleural effusion can often accompany them. Any masses that are round in shape and reach up to three centimeters in size are commonly referred to as lung nodules and they can suggest the early stages of cancerous tumors. More opaque shapes on the X-ray typically point to a form of scarring of the lung and it could represent the early development of a condition like asbestosis. Already far advanced asbestosis would appear like a honeycomb on the scan clearing all doubts for the pulmonologist.

If doctors suspect mesothelioma, they will schedule a biopsy. They may recommend a thoracoscopy or video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) or a peritoneoscopy. If the biopsy reveals mesothelioma, further studies are then done to determine how advanced the cancer is.

The tests used to diagnose esophageal cancer are often ordered for people who have difficulty swallowing, a persistent cough, or risk factors for the disease and may include:

• A barium swallow
• Endoscopy
• Endoscopic ultrasound

Other procedures and imaging tests such as CT, PET, and bronchoscopy can help determine the stage of the disease which is important for choosing the best treatment options. The lab tests used for diagnosing esophageal cancer are fairly non-specific but are used along with imaging tests, a health history review, and a physical exam.

It's helpful to be aware of your history of exposure to asbestos so that you can make an appointment to see your doctor and get professionally tested. It's important to pay attention to a history of working in occupations that involved repairing, renovations or maintenance of asbestos-containing products. When encased in a compound, asbestos does not pose a threat to anyone's health, however, when it becomes airborne, as it would usually happen in a workspace in which materials would be constantly disturbed as part of the daily activities, the tiny fibers are easily inhaled and can cement themselves in the lungs. The human organism has no natural defense against asbestos and cannot expel it, meaning that irritation of the lungs begins as soon as the first exposure occurs.

To qualify for an asbestos trust fund claim when you have a history of asbestos exposure and receive a diagnosis of esophageal cancer, you have to have pathology reports from a biopsy or surgery. You also must have an underlying disease to go with that, such as asbestosis or pleural disease.

Throat cancer is most often diagnosed when a person seeks medical care for one or more of the following symptoms: persistent cough, difficulty swallowing, or persistent sore throat.

First, the doctor will review your health history to determine whether you may be at risk for throat cancer. Then, the physician will perform a physical exam, during which he or she will feel the throat area for any abnormalities, such as lumps.

If he or she believes that you may have cancer or another disease, you may be referred to an otolaryngologist, also called an ENT specialist who specializes in conditions that are related to the ears, nose, and throat. Any sort of abnormalities or distorted shapes or masses should legitimately be considered as the consequences of asbestos exposure if you have a history of working with the material.

To get a better view of the inside of the throat, an ENT doctor may recommend having a laryngoscopy during which a sample of tissue may be taken if any suspicious areas are discovered. This is called a biopsy and its purpose is to either confirm or rule out cancer. If cancer is found, it is then necessary to determine its extent. This process is called staging. The stage of cancer will affect which treatment method is best suited for you.

To file an asbestos trust fund claim when you're diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, you also must have pathology reports from a biopsy or surgery. You also have to have a diagnosis for an underlying asbestos-related disease, such as asbestosis or pleural disease.

To confirm and define the extent of colon cancer a diagnostic colonoscopy, biopsy, and imaging tests are needed.

• Physical exam. After reviewing any symptoms that may be suggestive of colorectal cancer - blood in your stool or a change in bowel habits - as well as your risk factors for developing colon cancer, your doctor will perform a physical examination.
• Lab tests. After a medical history and physical examination, your doctor may order labs - complete blood count, liver function test, tumor makers, especially if your symptoms and/or exam are suspicious for colorectal cancer.
• Colonoscopy. If your exam and tests indicate colorectal cancer, your doctor will possibly recommend a diagnostic colonoscopy.
• Biopsy. Also, if a suspicious mass is seen, the doctor can do a biopsy.
• Imaging tests. Once the diagnosis of cancer is determined, the extent of the disease is determined with imaging tests and a treatment plan can then be devised. The imaging tests often used include chest X-ray, CT scan, MRI and PET scan.

If unexplained masses are appearing on an X-ray and yet the physician does not attribute them to asbestos in the case of a patient with a history of exposure, it would be best for the patient to get a second and even a third opinion just to make sure that the disease is or is not asbestos-related.

They could have their X-ray looked at again and have their medical and occupational history related to another doctor if they feel like their diagnosis was not right, especially since the chances of misdiagnosis are so high and the signs can be easily overlooked for years.

When you are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, you also must have a diagnosis for an underlying asbestos-related disease, such as asbestosis or pleural disease. Then, you may be eligible for compensation and to file a claim for a payout that will help you deal with the costs the asbestos condition will impose on your life and the lives of your loved ones.

The methods of diagnosing gastrointestinal cancer include:

• Lab tests
• Imaging tests
• Biopsies
• Endoscopy

Once the cancer is confirmed, its stage is then determined and a treatment plan is developed.

To file an asbestos trust fund claim, you must also receive a diagnosis for an underlying asbestos-related disease, such as pleural disease or asbestosis.

Regarding imaging tests, an X-ray cannot provide an image of asbestos fibers, it can only show abnormalities that could have a connection to asbestos exposure. Since asbestos-related diseases have symptoms that match the ones of many other possible conditions, reaching a diagnosis can be a slow process. That is why the occupational history of the patient is a valuable piece of information that could speed up the process.

An X-ray is usually the first type of scan that is recommended as a noninvasive way of investigation and so many patients that have admitted to having been exposed to asbestos are sent to have one for the doctor to have more ground to establish a diagnosis.

Medical specialists, however, explain the limitations of an X-ray, with its biggest impediment being that it is only able to present a two-dimensional image of the internal organs, meaning that there is always room for error, and consequently, for misdiagnosis. The information an X-ray can tell with certainty is the state of healthy organs for these should appear black on the scans; anything else would require interpretation on the part of the doctor based on the previous information offered by the patient.