What Are The Four Stages Of Mesothelioma Cancer?

One rare form of cancer is called Mesothelioma, a malignant
tumor in the mesothelial tissues of the lungs and the abdomen,
arising from the inhalation of asbestos Its rarity is one of
the reasons why a lot of people are not aware of this kind of
fatal disease In fact, many people die of Mesothelioma
undiagnosed Although there is now a growing awareness of the
hazards of asbestos to health, still many have not heard of
Mesothelioma and thus, have not understood its nature, cause,
signs and treatment Even some physicians find it hard to detect
Mesothelioma because its symptoms are akin to other diseases
like lung cancer and pneumonia Furthermore, it takes decades
for a patient who was exposed to asbestos to develop
Mesothelioma — fifty years, at most
Being unaware of Mesothelioma poses higher risks since it deters
diagnosis and treatment A person undergoing treatment must know
the different stages of the cancer or the extent of the disease
Chances of recovering from Mesothelioma and the kind of
treatment depend on the stage of the illness There are
basically two staging systems used for Pleural Mesothelioma
(lungs): TNM system and Brighan system These staging systems
are also used in other kinds of cancers; however, the first is
commonly used There is no established method in determining the
stage of the Peritoneal Mesothelioma cancer (abdominal) so the
TNM system is used
There are three variables in the TNM system: tumor, lymph nodes
and metastasis In the earliest stage of Mesothelioma, stage I,
the malignant Mesothelioma cells start to grow and multiply only
one layer of the pleura The pleura is the membrane that
encloses the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity
However, there are some instances wherein the pericardium
(membrane that covers the heart) and diaphragm cover are already
affected In this case, the cancer patient is still in stage I
Mesothelioma
In the second stage, the two layers of the pleura are already
affected by Mesothelioma Take note, however, that in this
stage, only one side of the body is affected Normally, the
pleura produces only small amount of lubricating fluid that
allows easy expanding and contracting of the lungs The excess
fluid is absorbed by the blood and the lymph vessels so there’s
a balance between the amount of fluid produced and removed
During the second stage Mesothelioma, fluid starts to build up
between the membrane of the lungs and the membrane of the chest
wall, resulting to pleural effusion The increase in the volume
of fluid produced causes shortness of breath and chest pain
Other Mesothelioma cancer patients experience dry and persistent
cough Diagnosis of the pleural effusion is achieved through a
chest x-ray
Stage III Mesothelioma means that the malignant cells have
already spread to the chest wall, esophagus and the lymph nodes
on one part of the chest The patient may suffer severe pain
near the parts affected When not treated immediately or when
the Mesothelioma patient doesn’t respond well to medication, the
cancer may advance to the fourth stage The fourth stage
Mesothelioma is formidable since at this stage the Mesothelioma
cells have penetrated into the bloodstream and other organs in
the body like the liver, the bones and the brain The lymph
nodes on the other side of the chest may also be affected by
Mesothelioma in stage IV
Brighan staging system, on the other hand, determines whether
the Mesothelioma can be surgically removed or not and whether
the lymph nodes are affected or not In stage I Mesothelioma,
the lymph nodes are not yet affected and the patient can still
recover through surgery In stage II, surgery can still be
executed but some lymph nodes have already been infiltrated by
the cancer cells In stage III, the heart and chest wall are
already affected; thus, surgery is no longer advisable The
lymph nodes in this stage, however, may or may not be affected
In the final stage, stage IV Mesothelioma, cancer cells have
already gone to the bloodstream and other parts of the body like
the heart, brain, bone and liver In most cases, a patient who
has reached stage IV Mesothelioma only has four to twenty-four
months to live

Tags | cavity, inhalation, malignant, mesothelioma, patient, peritoneal, rarity, result, stages, systems, treatment