To treat all types of cancer, doctors typically first decide the stage of the disease before they formulate a plan to fight it. Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is no exception. This type of cancer attacks the different linings of the body, such as the abdomen (peritoneal), heart (pericardial), lungs (pleural), and even testicles.
Mesothelioma has only been acknowledged as a disease separate from other cancers since the late 1950s. Perhaps this explains why there is no one method that doctors use to determine the stage of the cancer progression. In fact, there are actually three different methodologies to choose from in diagnosing the stage of infection.
First, the Butchart staging system is the oldest way to figure out the level of tumor spread. It primarily looks at the size and spread of the original tumor. The stages of mesothelioma, according to the Butchart scale, are:
Stage 1 - Mesothelioma is in the right or left pleural lining of the lung. It may have also spread to the lung itself, heart lining, or diaphragm.
Stage 2 - Tumors have spread to the esophagus. It may also be in both sides of pleural lining, as well as heart and lymph nodes.
Stage 3 - Mesothelioma has spread from pleural form to peritoneal. If it has attacked the lymph nodes in the chest, the ones in the abdomen may be under attack as well.
Stage 4 - Metastasis has occurred, meaning that tumors are in distant organs.
Next, the Brigham staging system is a new way to look at mesothelioma that looks at the cancer as how it can be treated at that point.
Stage I - The tumor can still be removed by surgery. It has not yet spread to the lymphatic system.
Stage II - The tumor can be removed by surgery, but the difference is that the lymph nodes are now affected.
Stage III - Mesothelioma can no longer be removed by surgery, and has spread to the abdomen, heart, chest wall, or diaphragm. It does not matter the stage of the lymph nodes.
Stage IV - The tumor has completely metastasized and has spread to all areas of the body, including distant organs.
Lastly, a system used for other cancers is called the TNM. T is for tumor, N is for the lymph nodes, and M is for metastasis.
Stage I - The cancer is only present in the mesothelium, or the tissue that lines different areas of the body. Typically, it can be surgically removed at this point.
Stage II - The tumor is now in the lungs themselves, and possibly in the diaphragm, but may not be in the lymph nodes.
Stage III - The cancer may be in the peritoneum, as well as the mediastinum and lymph nodes beyond the chest cavity.
Stage IV - Like the other two systems, the tumors have appeared in other organs of the body. It may have invaded things like the heart, esophagus, and spine.
No comments:
Post a Comment