One of the challenges in fighting mesothelioma is diagnosing the cancer. Doctors, especially those who are not mesothelioma specialists, often have difficulty telling whether a patient has this rare and aggressive cancer or another disease.
The emergence of technology, such as video-assisted surgery, has made the job much easier for doctors.
A study conducted in Italy proved that video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was effective at identifying mesothelioma. This technology can make the diagnostic process more accurate and help patients begin the correct treatment sooner, which can improve survival rates.
What Is VATS?
VATS is part of a biopsy procedure used to help diagnose pleural mesothelioma, which is the type of mesothelioma that forms near the lungs. There are several types of biopsies for mesothelioma. VATS is used for the type called a thoracoscopy, which involves making a small incision in the chest to gain access to tissue in the area where pleural mesothelioma forms.
During VATS, doctors use a tiny camera attached to a thin tube (thoracoscope). Doctors use the thoracoscope to view the chest cavity for tumors, diseased tissue, and the extent of disease. The video camera also helps them extract tissue samples for testing, which is an essential part of the biopsy procedure.
Examining the Effectiveness of Biopsy Procedures
There are two notable benchmarks used to assess the value of a biopsy type. These benchmarks help scientists examine how accurate doctors are at diagnosing the correct disease after a specific biopsy type was used:
- Sensitivity – Ability to correctly identify people with mesothelioma
- Specificity – Ability to correctly identify people without mesothelioma
These benchmarks are calculated based on four data points:
- True positives – Doctors correctly identify the presence of mesothelioma
- True negatives – Doctors correctly determine that mesothelioma is not present
- False positives – Doctors incorrectly believe mesothelioma is present
- False negatives – Doctors incorrectly believe mesothelioma is not present
How VATS Performed in a Mesothelioma Study
Italian scientists analyzed 552 cases where VATS was used during the diagnostic process. Of them, 178 were mesothelioma. VATS led doctors to correctly identify mesothelioma in 164 of them (sensitivity of 93%). There were only 14 with a false-negative result.
In the 374 other cases, VATS was 100% effective at helping doctors rule that mesothelioma was not the patient’s disease.
Finding a Cancer Center for a Diagnosis or Second Opinion
Most of the top cancer centers use video technology during the diagnostic process. This tool makes the job of doctors much easier.
Mesothelioma Guide recommends anyone who suspects they have mesothelioma – or has received an initial diagnosis – to visit a cancer center. Mesothelioma cancer centers are located in every region of the United States.
These institutions have mesothelioma specialists on staff who have access to video technology and high rates of accuracy in not only diagnosing mesothelioma but also determining the cell type, stage, and best treatment plan.
Email Karen Ritter, our registered nurse, for contact information to get in touch with one of the top cancer centers. Email Karen at karen@mesotheliomaguide.com and and she will be happy to provide a list of recommended mesothelioma cancer centers and specialists who can provide you with the care you need.
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