Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium and is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide uncontrollably. These abnormal cells even have the potential to invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells also have the capability to spread from their original site of infection to other healthy parts of the body and thereby result in an uncontrolled spread throughout the body. It has been reported that most cases of mesothelioma originate in the pleura or peritoneum. Working with asbestos has been identified as the major risk factor for causing mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, asbestos is not only the only reason related to Mesothelioma. The symptoms of Mesothelioma have also been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos thereby indicating the incubation property of this disease.
As and when the symptoms appear and the patient seeks medical aid the doctor would move forward and try and come up with a diagnosis using several tests. If these clinical tests indicate a diagnosis of Mesothelioma then the doctor moves on ahead to try and determine the extent of spread that the malign Mesothelioma has undergone in the body of the patient. This is known as staging. Various techniques are used to carry out these tests and these include the likes of Imaging studies, such as CT scans and MRI’s. This step to determine the stage of Mesothelioma is very important as the further treatment suggested by the doctor will solely depend on the study of the stage ofMesothelioma. To carry out the assessment of finding out the stages of the Mesothelioma the most common system used by the doctors is the Butchart Staging System. This staging procedure is only used for pleural mesothelioma where in the Mesothelioma is restricted to the lungs of the individual. The various stages of Mesothelioma include:
Stage 1 - Localized Malignant Mesothelioma
This is the initial stage of mesothelioma. Here, the cancerous tumor is found in the pleura (the lung lining), and may also involve some tumors in the lung, pericardium (the lining of the heart), or the diaphragm.
Stage 2 Mesothelioma
In Stage II mesothelioma, in addition to the presence of mesothelioma in the pleura, mesothelioma is found to have effectively moved on and spread to the chest wall, esophagus, or heart. The lymph nodes in the chest too might have been affected by the disease here.
Stage 3 Mesothelioma
In Stage III, the mesothelioma subsequently invades the diaphragm into the peritoneum (the lining of the heart), and may also move on to affect lymph nodes outside of the chest.
Stage 4 Mesothelioma
Here the mesothelioma has metastasized, spreading through the bloodstream to the other organs of the body and is at its destructive best.