Mesothelioma Stages And Mesothelioma Staging Systems

In 2007, my father was diagnosed with and died of Mesothelioma.  After having a lung fail (cease to function) and being in great pain for the preceding year his mesothelioma was classified as stage four.  The patient and family thought they’d been deceived and thought seriously about litigation.  It is good to know the right questions to ask about mesothelioma.

The family was incredulous.  How could this man undergo so much screening for cancer, have all the results come back negative for cancer -and then suddenly be at stage four?  The only reply the family received was that the mesothelioma was particularly aggressive.  Sometimes it doesn’t show and then, Boom -it’s stage four (4).  Whether true or not, who knows.

What follows is an explanation of the various stages of mesothelioma, for the benefit of those who are wondering, as we did.

Stages of Mesothelioma And Mesothelioma Staging Systems

Mesothelioma stages exist in the medical world to enable the doctor to evaluate the advanced condition for a few reasons:

• for the medical institution, 
• for participation in clinical trials, and 
• to come up with advanced mesothelioma treatment choices. 

By segregating a progressive disease into stages, researchers can evaluate mesothelioma options for treatment that have been proven to be of value.  By placing mesothelioma stages in a universally accepted staging system, mesothelioma life expectancy stats can be gathered on an international basis. Once a staging system has gained acceptance internationally, it is able to make a great contribution to (and for) the advancement of mesothelioma treatment options. 

The Butchart staging system has been around since 1976.  It focuses on four (4) mesothelioma stages which take into account the location.:

• Stage 1, the tumor is in one side of the pleural lining. 
• Stage 2, the tumor is malignant, has entered both lungs, and is potentially about to spread. 
• Stage 3, the tumor has entered the peritoneum (abdomen region), 
• Stage 4, the cancer has succeeded in spreading all through the blood stream.

The Butchart system was simple and was generally accepted.   It has some shortcomings regarding some issues deemed crucial.  Researchers assert it neglects to take into account the correlation between survival expectations at the different stages of mesothelioma.  The Butchart mesothelioma staging system is not utilized for mesothelioma life expectancy purposes.  Some other mesothelioma stages have evolved from it, and many cancer institutions have modified it for their own purposes when evaluating cases.

Medical institutions use the mesothelioma stages and staging system for their own internal evaluation purposes.  Each mesothelioma patient ought to be aware whenever discussing mesothelioma life expectancy that mesothelioma staging systems differ.  It is also noteworthy that staging systems still undergo scrutiny.

It may be prudent for the patient to keep in mind that no staging system will include all the variables for treatment and prognosis. Factors such as tumor subtypes can make a big difference in the prognosis.

 Basically, there are only two (2) stages of mesothelioma - localized and advanced. In most staging systems, localized mesothelioma is considered stage one only. Stages two (2) through four (4) are all advanced mesothelioma stages. Generally, mesothelioma stages are broken down  by location, tumor severity, or whether surgery is required. 

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Additional Information:

National Cancer Institute

Stage Three Mesothelioma

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