Asbestos: 4 Stages of Mesothelioma Cancer
A rare form of cancer called mesothelioma, a malignant tumor in the mesothelial tissues of the lungs and abdomen, following the inhalation of asbestos. Its rarity is one reason why many people are not aware of such a deadly disease. In fact, many people die of Mesothelioma undiagnosed. Although there is now an awareness of the dangers of asbestos to health, many have not yet heard of mesothelioma, and therefore did not understand its nature, cause, signs and treatment. Even some physicians find it hard to detect Mesothelioma because its symptoms are similar to other diseases like lung cancer and pneumonia. In addition, it takes decades for a patient who has been exposed to asbestos to develop Mesothelioma – fifty years at most.
Overlooking Mesothelioma poses higher risks since it deters diagnosis and treatment. A person under treatment must know the different stages of cancer or the extent of the disease. The chances of recovery of mesothelioma and type of treatment depends on the stage of disease. There are two main systems used for the staging Pleural Mesothelioma (lungs): TNM system and Brighan. These systems of staging are also used in other types of cancers, but the first is commonly used. There is no established method to determine the stage of the Peritoneal Mesothelioma cancer (abdominal) so the TNM system is used.
There are three variables in the TNM system: tumor, lymph nodes and metastases. In the first stage of mesothelioma, Phase I, the malignant mesothelioma cells begin to grow and multiply only one layer of the pleura. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. However, there are some cases where the pericardium (membrane covering the heart) and diaphragm cover are already affected. In this case, the cancer patient is still in stage I Mesothelioma.
In the second step, the two layers of the pleura are already affected by Mesothelioma. Please note however, that in this stage, only one side of the body is affected. Normally, the pleura produces only small amounts of lubricating fluid which helps to expand and contract the lungs. The excess fluid is absorbed by blood and lymph vessels, then there is a balance between the quantity of liquid product and removed. During the second stage Mesothelioma, fluid starts to develop between the membrane of the lungs and the membrane of the chest wall, resulting from the pleural effusion. The increase in the volume of fluid produced causes shortness of breath and chest pain. Other Mesothelioma cancer patients and dry cough. Diagnosis of pleural effusion is achieved through a chest x-ray.
Stage III Mesothelioma means that the malignant cells have already spread to the chest wall, esophagus and the lymph nodes on one part of the chest. The patient may suffer severe pain near the parts affected. When not treated immediately or when the Mesothelioma patient doesn’t respond well to medication, the cancer may advance to the fourth stage. The fourth stage Mesothelioma is formidable since at this stage the Mesothelioma cells have penetrated into the bloodstream and other organs in the body like the liver, the bones and the brain. The lymph nodes on the other side of the chest may also be affected by Mesothelioma in stage IV.
Brighan staging system, on the other hand, determines whether the Mesothelioma can be surgically removed or not and whether the lymph nodes are affected or not. In stage I Mesothelioma, the lymph nodes are not yet affected and the patient can still recover through surgery. In stage II, surgery can still be executed but some lymph nodes have already been infiltrated by the cancer cells. In stage III, the heart and chest wall are already affected; thus, surgery is no longer advisable. The lymph nodes in this stage, however, may or may not be affected. In the final stage, stage IV Mesothelioma, cancer cells have already gone to the bloodstream and other parts of the body like the heart, brain, bone and liver. In most cases, a patient who has reached stage IV Mesothelioma only has four to twenty-four months to live.