Mesothelioma Cancer Stages Explained (part 2)

Sorry for the late posting...here next articles about mesothelioma cancer stages explained...

The Causes

Mesothelioma cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers or dust. Workers in the asbestos industry are prime targets for attracting this deadly disease. Asbestos fibers enter the body, either by breathing in the tiny asbestos fibers or by swallowing them. The fibers cause healthy cells to mutate into cancer. Since the body is unable to dispel these fibers, the lungs become inflamed (asbestosis). This condition worsens and eventually becomes malignant. Asbestos exposure is thought to be responsible for roughly 75% of all cases of lung lining cancer.

Symptoms

Mesothelioma is a very difficult cancer to detect in early stages. The early symptoms tend to be generic and even nonexistent in some cases, and it can take as much as 15 to 50 years after exposure to develop. The first symptom is often constant chest pain, followed by coughing, lung damage, and shortness of breath. Patients who have peritoneal mesothelioma (a less common form of mesothelioma) generally experience abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling, often in addition to the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. They may also develop bowel obstruction or further breathing obstruction.


Stages and Diagnosis of Mesothelioma

There are three staging systems used to determine treatment for mesothelioma: Butchart System, TNM System, and the Brigham System

Butchart Staging System

The Butchart System is the oldest system and the most common. This system concentrates upon determining the extent of primary tumor mass and divides mesothelioma into four stages.

Stage I of the Butchart System consists of the presence of mesothelioma in the lining of the right or left lung and may also involve the diaphragm on the same side. Stage II includes the progression of mesothelioma into the chest wall, esophagus, or lung lining on bother sides. There may also be lymph nodes in the chest. The onset of Stage III begins when the mesothelioma surpasses the diaphragm into the lining of the abdominal cavity or peritoneum. In this stage the cancer may also affect the lymph nodes extending beyond those in the chest. Doctors identify Stage IV, the final stage, when evidence of the spread of cancer to other organs (metastasis) is confirmed.

TNM System

Stage I of the TNM System involves the lining of the right or left lung, pericardium, or diaphragm on the same side. At this stage, lymph nodes are not involved. Stage II begins when mesothelioma spreads from the lining of the lung on one side to a lymph node on the same side. At this stage, the cancer may also spread to the lung, pericardium, or diaphragm on the same side. Stage III begins when mesothelioma is present in the chest wall, muscle, ribs, heart, esophagus, or other organs in the chest on the same side as the primary tumor. In the final stage, Stage IV, the mesothelioma has travelled into the lymph nodes in the chest on the side opposite the primary tumor, into the lung opposite the primary tumor, or directly into the organs in the abdominal cavity or neck. Metastasis is the final result in this stage.

Brigham System

The Brigham System determines the resectability (the ability to surgically remove) the mesothelioma mass. In Stage I the tumor is resectable, while lymph nodes remain unaffected. In Stage II the tumor remains respectable but the mesothelioma affects the lymph nodes. In Stage III the tumor becomes unresectable. It has penetrated through the diaphragm, or peritoneum. Stage III can occur with or without lymph involvement and extends into the chest wall and heart. Stage IV occurs when doctors discover metastatic disease involving distant organs.

After doctors identify the stage of a patient's malignant mesothelioma, the patient and doctor consider the various treatment options available. Mesothelioma treatment programs are contingent upon many factors, including the stage of the cancer, the location of the cancer, the spread of mesothelioma cancer, the characteristics of the cancer cells under a microscope and the patient's age and concerns.