What are the Stages of Mesothelioma?
There are four stages of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) progression. These stages are organized based on the size/extent of the tumor(s), whether or not the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, and whether the cancer has metastasized in a far away part of the body. There are four stages that MPM can be characterized as.
How is Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) categorized into stages?
Doctors use certain metrics to assess the severity (and consequent treatment plans) of MPM, which is mesothelioma that has developed in and around the tissues of the lungs. (This is the most common manifestation of mesothelioma.) They use the TNM method, which is as follows: Tumor: Can the main tumor be successfully removed with surgery? How big is the tumor? Is it localized to the pleura of the lungs? (The pleura are the membranes that directly surround the lungs. They are characterized as serous membranes, meaning that they contain serous fluid. This fluid allows for the smooth inflation and deflation of the lungs during breathing and other movements of the body at large.) Nodes: Is the cancer detectable in the lymph nodes? Metastasis: Has the cancer migrated (metastasized) to different parts of the body, like a distant organ or appendage?
What are the Stages of Mesothelioma?
Doctors assess the stage of mesothelioma (1-4) based on answers to the above questions. While a doctor’s evaluation is more in-depth, we will be discussing the basic qualifications for the different stages of mesothelioma. Doctors use numerical values in the TNM method that might blur these stipulations. For example, a patient might have three detectable tumors (T3) and two impacted lymph nodes (N2), but the diagnosis might be characterized as Stage II. The stage of mesothelioma is to be determined by a doctor.
