Read article Should I see a mesothelioma specialist?
This page tells you about the guidelines that GPs have in the UK to help them send the right people for pleural mesothelioma tests. There is information below about
Should I see a mesothelioma specialist?
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who has something much more minor. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have produced guidelines for GPs to help them decide which symptoms need an urgent referral to a specialist.
Urgent chest X-ray
The guidelines say your GP should send you for an urgent chest X-ray if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and have any of the following symptoms
- New chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Unexplained symptoms that last for more than 3 weeks, such as shoulder pain, cough or weight loss
Urgent referral to a specialist
According to the guidelines, you should ideally get an urgent referral to a specialist within 2 weeks of going to the GP for any of the following reasons
- If results of your urgent chest X-ray shows anything abnormal
- If you have been exposed to asbestos in the past, and have recently developed chest pain and shortness of breath.
If you have symptoms and you do not think your GP is taking them seriously enough, you could print out this page and take it along to an appointment.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About mesothelioma section.
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who may have something much more minor that will go away on its own. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have produced guidelines for GPs in the UK to help them decide which patients need to be seen urgently by a specialist. These guidelines on referrals for lung cancer, which includes pleural mesothelioma, were revised in 2005.
There are no guidelines for seeing a specialist for peritoneal mesothelioma. If you know that you have been exposed to asbestos in the past, and have unexplained abdominal symptoms, you should see your GP.
With many symptoms, it is perfectly right that your GP should ask you to wait to see if they get better or respond to treatment such as antibiotics. If GPs referred everyone who came to see them to a specialist immediately, the system would get jammed and people needing urgent appointments wouldn't be able to get them. But there are certain symptoms that could be due to pleural mesothelioma and mean that your GP should send you for an urgent chest X-ray or refer you to a specialist.
You should have an urgent chest X-ray if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and have any of these symptoms
- New chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Unexplained symptoms that last for more than 3 weeks, such as shoulder pain, a cough, or weight loss
If the chest X-ray shows anything abnormal, you should get an appointment to see a specialist. You should ideally see a specialist within two weeks of going to your GP.
You should ideally see a specialist urgently if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and have recently developed chest pain and shortness of breath. According to NICE guidelines, an urgent referral means you should see a specialist within 2 weeks of seeing your GP.
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking your symptoms as seriously as you think they should, you could print this page and take it along to an appointment. Ask your GP to talk it through with you and then you may be able to decide together whether you need to see a specialist and if so, how soon.
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