Pathology, the process of evaluating tissues or blood, plays a significant role in the diagnosis of mesothelioma. A sample, often called a biopsy, will be taken from a tumor that is thought to be cancerous. The biopsy will be sent to a laboratory for inspection under a microscope. Pathologists visually and chemically analyze these samples to determine the exact type of disease a patient is dealing with.

Mesothelioma Biopsy and Pathology

When a biopsy is obtained to confirm a mesothelioma diagnosis, pathology is used to determine whether the extracted cells are cancerous. After several small sections of a tumor have been extracted and sent to a pathologist, they will be examined for visual characteristics that indicate mesothelioma.

Pathologists can look for certain biomarkers in biopsied tissue and blood samples. The presence or absence of proteins such as osteopontin and mesothelin can differentiate mesothelioma cells from healthy ones. Pathologists typically conduct the histopathological (visual) examination and the biomarker testing in the same sample to determine if the cells in question are malignant or benign.

Mesothelioma Pathology Report
After the biopsy cells have been inspected for particular characteristics, a mesothelioma pathology report will be assembled to outline information about the patient’s unique case. Patients should discuss their report with their doctor to obtain a better understanding of the disease they are fighting.

Information contained in a pathology report typically includes a patient’s personal information and medical history, as well as details about the diagnosis. These documents explain the characteristics and origin of the sampled tissue, a visual description as seen through a microscope, the diagnostic techniques used and a final report of findings. The report will also classify a tumor as benign (not harmful) or malignant (cancerous) as well as the cell type that makes up a tumor.