Mesothelioma comes in several types, the most common of which is pleural mesothelioma. It is roughly divided into four stages. These stages determine the progression of the disease.
Stage one is the onset of cancer. Detection at this stage is rare.
Stage two is where the cancer has progressed to the lung, lining surrounding the heart or diaphragm. It may also have penetrated lymph nodes and/or other systems of the body.
Stage three is when the malignancy has penetrated the chest wall, lining of heart and/or lungs and possibly even the heart itself. In this stage, relieving of the symptoms is usually the priority.
Stage four means it has penetrated several areas in the body, possibly including the blood and lymph nodes. At this stage, pain relief and making the patient comfortable is the main treatment.
Mesothelioma – cancer or disease?
Mesothelioma is cancer, although often referred to as a disease. Up until recent years it was extremely rare. More cases are diagnosed now, because malignant mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, and doesn’t result in mesothelioma symptoms for several decades. It comes in several forms, and is not always found in the lung lining (pleural mesothelioma).
Metastatic mesothelioma is mesothelioma that has spread to distant organs. Though the fine details of how a mesothelial cell (a cell in the membrane surrounding the lung, heart, abdomen, and in rare cases, the testicles) becomes malignant are unknown, the basics of how the disease develops are known. Mesothelioma becomes metastatic through the bloodstream and lymph nodes. Cancer cells can enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Even though most cancer cells in the bloodstream are actually harmless, some can attach to other parts of the body and begin to grow.
Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is the rarest mesothelioma. It may be localized to one tumor, or it may be spread to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body altogether, such as the lungs, the abdominal cavity, or the chest wall. Diagnosis of sarcomatoid mesothelioma begins with biopsy of affected tissue.
In terms of cell type, mesothelioma is classified as one of either epithelioid, sarcomatoid, or biphasic. Roughly half to three-quarters of all malignant mesothelioma cases are epithelioid mesothelioma.
Benign Cystic Mesothelioma – not associated with asbestos
It usually occurs in the peritoneal cavity and is often called benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma and is not considered life threatening. Patients are most often female and in their reproductive years.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that almost always is a result of exposure to asbestos dust. While this form of cancer is fairly rare appearing in roughly 2000 to 3000 cases each year in people over the age of 65, it is a deadly form of cancer with a poor survival rate.
Pleural, peritoneal, pericardial and testicular are four types of mesothelioma. If mesothelioma is caught early, perhaps when medical tests are being performed for another reason altogether, the prognosis is far better. Earlier diagnosis is a focal point of research on mesothelioma.
The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and shields many organs in the body. Mesothelioma (or malignant mesothelioma) is a cancer that manifests in that protective lining. It is nearly always related to exposure to asbestos.