Diagnosis of Mesothelioma is done by -

General physical examination of the body to check for disease symptoms and signs of cancer. 

X-ray of the Chest may show a fluid collection

CT Scan of the Chest

Complete blood count

Biopsy of the cells or tissues from the pleural or peritoneum layer.The biopsy procedures usually done are Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology,  Thoracoscopy, Peritoneoscopy, Laparotomy and Thoracotom

Bronchoscopy is the procedure done look inside the trachea and large airways in the lung for abnormal areas

Cytological examination of the fluid aspirated from the chest may show under the microscope presence of abnormal or malignant cells

Median survival is now 12 months from diagnosis. Palliative chemotherapy is beneficial for mesothelioma patients with high performance status. 

Staging the Disease

Staging of patients with mesothelioma malignancy helps to give better treatment procedures. Patients with stage I disease have a significantly better prognosis than those with more advanced stages.

Stage I: Disease confined within the capsule of the parietal pleura, lung, pericardium, and diaphragm

Stage II: All of stage I with positive (N1 or N2) lymph nodes

Stage III: Local extension of disease into chest wall or mediastinum, heart or through the diaphragm, peritoneum; with or without extrathoracic or contralateral (N3) lymph node involvement

Stage IV: Distant spread of disease or metastasis