The stages of mesothelioma
When a doctor diagnoses mesothelioma in a patient, one of the next
important steps toward treatment is determining what state the disease
is presently in. Two different systems for designating the stage of
mesothelioma presently are most commonly used. The older and most widely
used f the two is the Butchart System.
Under this system, stage I mesothelioma is detected only one one side of the chest and the cancer hasn’t yet begun to grow into the chest wall. At stage II, the cancer has spread to the chest wall, the esophagus, the heart, or the lymph nodes, or has crossed over to affect the mesothelium on the opposite of the chest. In stage III mesothelioma, the cancer has grown through the diaphragm and into the abdominal cavity, or has affected lymph nodes besides those in the chest. Stage IV mesothelioma has gotten into the bloodstream and spread to other organs.
Recently, the International Mesothelioma Interest Group has developed a TNM (tumor, nodes, metastasis) staging system. Many physicians consider this a more accurate system.
Under the TNM system, stage I mesothelioma is found only in a few spots on the outer lining of the membrane surrounding only one lung and has not yet spread to the lymph nodes. Stage II mesothelioma still is on one side only of the chest, but has spread from the membrane into the outer lining of the lung itself, into the diaphragm, or into the tissue of the lung beneath the lining. At stage III, the cancer has spread into the outermost layer of the chest wall, into the mediastinum, into a single spot on the chest wall or the outer membrane covering the heart, or into the lymph nodes anywhere on that side of the chest. Stage IV mesothelioma has spread further into the chest wall and may involve the muscles and bones, the spine, other major organs including the esophagus and the heart, or has moved into the bloodstream and passed into the rest of the body.