The reason for high death rates among mesothelioma patients is the aggressive nature of the disease and the inability to diagnose it until its latest stages. Because mesothelioma symptoms can remain dormant for up to 50 years, most cases at the time of diagnosis have already reached Stage III or IV. As a result, mesothelioma treatment options are often more palliative than curative.
However, the ability to diagnose the disease at an earlier time would certainly result in a better prognosis for mesothelioma patients. That ability is now present in the form of a mesothelioma blood test known as Mesomark. Developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics Inc. of Malvern, Pennsylvania, a leader in the field of oncology testing, the test measures the amount of a particular biomarker in human serum.
The test was first released in Australia in March 2005 and distribution expanded to Europe just a few months later. Food and Drug Administration approval for the blood test was received nearly two years later in January 2007.
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