Mesothelioma is a terrible disease that has a huge latency period˳ To explain in more detail, latency period refers to the time duration between the exposure to the causative agent and the onset of the disease˳ The causative agent in the case of this disease is asbestos˳ The manifestation of indications of this disease is much after exposure to asbestos˳ Sometimes, this may be even after 20-50 years˳
Another notorious characteristic of this disease is that it has symptoms that are very similar to other benign diseases˳ Many times pleural mesothelioma (lung cancer) is confused with pneumonia and this leads to dire consequences˳ What happens is that the patient is in the last stages before they even realize they have such a killer disease˳ Therefore, little can be done to help them the last stages of cancer˳
Certain treatments have been devised for mesothelioma˳ However, these only help to mitigate the painful symptoms˳ Normally, the spread of the disease cannot be checked˳ There is no known cure for this disease˳ The choice of treatment for a mesothelioma patient is based on the stage of mesothelioma that he or she is in˳
Stages of Mesothelioma
Butman System
The Butman system is used to define the Mesothelioma staging system˳ The entire basis of this system is the extent to which the tumor has spread˳ The various levels of mesothelioma based on this system are as follows:
Stage I: At this stage, the presence of mesothelioma is in the right side or the left side of the pleura (lungs)˳ It may also be in the pericardium or diaphragm˳ Diaphragm is the muscle that separates the chest and the abdomen˳ In this stage, mesothelioma is only on one side (left or right) of the pleura˳
Stage II: In this degree of mesothelioma, the disease spreads to the other side of pleura or to the esophagus or heart or chest wall or even the lymph nodes˳
Stage III: In this phase, the disease is in a serious assaulting phase˳ It spreads from the diaphragm into the peritoneum˳ Peritoneum refers to the abdominal cavity lining˳ While in the previous stage, the lymph modes of the chest may be involved˳ This stage may involve the lymph nodes beyond the chest too˳
Stage IV: This is the final terrible stage of mesothelioma wherein the disease spreads to the other organs through the bloodstream˳
TNM staging System
The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) has developed another new staging system˳ This TNM staging system is very similar to that used for other types of cancers˳ In this system T stands for tumor
N stands for the assault on lymph nodes and M stands for metasis˳
The staging system is based on the following: § the size of the tumor and the extent to which it has spread to nearby organs § the extent of spread to lymph nodes § the extent of spread to distant organs˳
The various degrees of mesothelioma as per the TNM staging system are as follows:
Stage I: The mesothelioma may be in the right or the left pleura˳ It may also have assaulted the pericardium or the diaphragm on the same side˳ However, it would not have spread to the lymph nodes˳
Stage II: The disease may have spread to the lungs, diaphragm, lymph nodes or pericardium on the same side˳
Stage III: In this phase, the mesothelioma may have spread into the muscles of the chest wall, ribs, esophagus, heart and other organs on the same side˳ It may also have spread further into the lymph nodes on the same side˳
Stage IV: In this stage, mesothelioma affects the lymph modes in the chest on the same side or may start spreading to the lungs or pleura on the other side˳ Also, if mesothelioma is found in the distant organs or if it spreads to organs other than the abdomen and chest, (through the blood stream), it is the fourth stage˳
Though the TNM system is more clear and comprehensive, still the Butchart system is popularly used to describe the stages of mesothelioma˳ Whatever the staging system used, it is important to understand that mesothelioma stage depiction is important for deciding the type of treatment to be used on a patient˳
How are the stages of mesothelioma determined?
CAT scans, MRI testing and other tests like x-rays help to determine the stage of mesothelioma in the patient˳ After this, the doctor informs the patient and his or her family about the level and type of treatment that is required˳ Mesothelioma has no known cure˳ So, the doctor can only offer to reduce the symptoms, to mitigate the pain and provide psychological support˳
What are the treatments offered to mesothelioma patients?
Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are the options available for treating a mesothelioma patient˳ Apart from these traditional treatments, various new ones keep coming up every once in a while˳ However many are under study and need testing˳ To avail of them, a patient can undergo a medical trial˳ In this way, he will benefit the medical research in mesothelioma as well as avail of the new medicine or method of treatment˳ The health of the patient and the age of the patient will also be considered when deciding the level and type of treatment offered for a patient˳ While undergoing treatment for mesothelioma cancer, the patient needs not only physical strength but also emotional strength˳ The patient should be strong at heart to face whatever happens next˳
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