It is complicated to diagnose mesothelioma. Most patients have few mesothelioma symptoms until the condition is far advanced. Some doctors are unfamiliar with the symptoms. The time between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma symptoms takes decades, and the disease only gets worse after exposure to asbestos has ended.

If a doctor sees typical mesothelioma symptoms (severe chest pain, shortness of breath, persistent cough, difficulty swallowing, loss of weight, fever, rasping, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite), he will do a complete exam and review your medical history.

If he suspects that you have mesothelioma, he will then order a biopsy in which a tissue sample is taken and examined. Once a mesothelioma diagnosis has been made, further tests may be done to determine how far the disease has progressed and to prescribe mesothelioma treatment.

It is not easy to face a mesothelioma diagnosis. The malignancy period of mesothelioma after asbestos exposure is so long that many patients are too far advanced to hope for effective treatment. The average post-diagnosis survival is one to five years.