Diagnosis
This disease is often discovered during surgery for other conditions, e.g., hernia repair, following which an experienced pathologist can confirm the diagnosis. Advanced stages may present as tumors palpable on the abdomen. Due to the rarity of this disease, it is important to obtain an accurate diagnosis so that appropriate treatment may be obtained from a specialist. Diagnostic tests may include CT scans, and the evaluation of tumor markers. In most cases colonsocopy is not a suitable diagnostic tool because cancer originating from appendix spreads within the abdominal cavity and implants grow on the outside, not the inside of the colon (however, spread inside the colon is occasionally reported). PET scans are used for higher-grade cancers, but are not not reliable for low-grade malignancy because tumors do not take up the dye and show up on scans. New MRI procedures are being developed for disease monitoring, but standard MRIs are not typically used as a diagnostic tool. Diagnosis is confirmed through pathology.
Read more about this topic: Pseudomyxoma Peritonei