After receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis, victims need to find out about peritoneal mesothelioma staging. It is natural to want to know more about what stage you are currently in and how the disease will progress. The following stages are for malignant mesothelioma:
Stage I is a localized cancer. This stage is divided into two distinctions:
Stage IA cancer means it is found in only one side of the chest within the lining of the chest wall. It may also be found in the lining of the chest cavity amongst the lungs and/or the lining that shields the diaphragm. The cancer has not spread to the lining that covers the lung.
Stage IB cancer means it is found in one side of the chest in the lining of the chest wall and also the lining that protects the lung. This cancer may also be located in the lining of the chest cavity between the lungs and/or the lining that covers the diaphragm.
Stage II for peritoneal mesothelioma staging is a bit more advanced and this cancer is located in the chest lining one side of the chest wall, the lining that covers the diaphragm, between the lungs and the lining that covers the lung of the lining of the chest cavity. Also, cancer has spread into one or both of the lungs or diaphragm muscle.
Stage III is an advanced stage and the cancer can be found in one side of the chest in the lining of the chest wall. It may have also spread to the lungs, the diaphragm muscle, the lining of the lung or diaphragm and/or the lining of the chest cavity between the lungs. In this stage, the cancer has spread to lymph nodes along the esophagus, trachea and between the lung and diaphragm.
During this stage, doctors can also find that the cancer may be in the sac that covers the heart, the soft tissues of the chest wall, the fat in the cavity between the lungs or the tissues between the ribs and the lining of the chest wall.
Stage IV is known as the final stage of cancer and it is very hard to be cured at this stage. For peritoneal mesothelioma staging it is the most serious of the stages. This cancer cannot be removed by surgery and is normally found in one or both sides of the body, in the lymph nodes anywhere in the chest or above the collar bone. It has spread to distant parts of the body such as the thyroid, spine or even the brain. It could have spread to other organs in the center of the chest cavity. Most mesothelioma treatment guide recommendations for this stage include palliative treatments that will keep the patient comfortable and in the least amount of pain.