Stages Of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused due to exposure to asbestos causes malignant cells to develop in the tissues of your lungs and your abdomen. The fact that this fatal disease is so rare is why not many people are aware of it causing many people to die of it undiagnosed. Even though there is a huge awareness amongst people about the dangers of any asbestos to one’s health there are still many people who haven’t heard of the diseases caused by it and thus many do not understand the nature of Mesothelioma its causes, symptoms and treatment.

Sometimes, even doctors find it very difficult and complex to diagnose Mesothelioma because the symptoms exhibited by a Mesothelioma patient are so similar to other diseases such as pneumonia and cancer. Moreover, a patient has to have been near asbestos for up to fifty years to develop the cancer Mesothelioma.

The fact that so many people are still uninformed of Mesothelioma does pose a higher risk since it allows the disease to go undiagnosed and thus, without treatment. A person having treatment for this disease must know the about the different stages of Mesothelioma and extent of the disease. The stages of illness will in turn affect the possibility of recovering and the treatment the patient receives.

The Brigham system and TNM are the two staging areas used for Pleural Mesothelioma which is in the lungs. Both of these staging areas are also used in determining the stages of other kinds of cancers The Brigham system is fairly new whereas the TNM system is more commonly used. In this case the TNM system is used since there is no established method of finding Peritoneal Mesothelioma, a cancer affecting the abdominal lining.

The ‘T’ ‘N’ and ‘M’ in the TNM stands for a tumor, the lymph nodes and also the metastasis respectively. Stage I, the very early stage of tumor, lymph nodes and metastasis is where the malignant cells start to grow and then as an effect multiply on one layer of the membrane that holds the lungs in and then goes on to line the wall of the person’s chest cavity otherwise known as the pleura. However there have been some instances where the diaphragm cover and the membrane that covers the heart (Pericardium) have already been affected but the Mesothelioma patient is still in Stage I.

In the second stage, Mesothelioma has already affected the two layers of pleura. However, it should be noted that only one side of the body is affected in this stage of the cancer. Normally, only a small amount of lubricating fluid is produces by the pleura allowing easy contracting and expanding of the lungs all the excess fluid is absorbed by the lymph vessels and the blood hence producing a balance between the amounts of fluid removes and produced.

The fluid starts to build up between the membrane of the chest wall and the membrane of the lungs during the second stage Mesothelioma and this result in a pleural effusion. As the volume of fluid produced increases the patient will start feeling chest pains and shortness of breath. Other Mesothelioma patients have experiences a persistent and dry cough. A chest X-ray can help diagnose pleural effusion.

In Stage III Mesothelioma the malignant cells spread to the esophagus, chest wall and the lymph nodes on one part of the chest. Patients may feel excruciating pain around the affected parts. The cancer may yet advance to a fourth stage if it is not treated immediately or the Mesothelioma patient does not respond well to the treatment or the medications.

This is a formidable stage since at fourth stage Mesothelioma the malignant cells have penetrated into organs like the liver, bones and the brain and even into the bloodstream. Stage IV Mesothelioma may also affect the lymph nodes on the other side of the chest.