Asbestos fibers enter the body, either by breathing in the tiny asbestos fibers or by swallowing them. Asbestos exposure is thought to be responsible for roughly 75% of all cases of lung lining cancer.

Symptoms

Mesothelioma is a very difficult cancer to detect in early stages. It has penetrated through the diaphragm, or peritoneum. Stage III begins when mesothelioma is present in the chest wall, muscle, ribs, heart, esophagus, or other organs in the chest on the same side as the primary tumor. The first symptom is often constant chest pain, followed by coughing, lung damage, and shortness of breath. In the final stage, Stage IV, the mesothelioma has travelled into the lymph nodes in the chest on the side opposite the primary tumor, into the lung opposite the primary tumor, or directly into the organs in the abdominal cavity or neck. In Stage II the tumor remains respectable but the mesothelioma affects the lymph nodes. Workers in the asbestos industry are prime targets for attracting that deadly disease. The fibers cause healthy cells to mutate into cancer. Since the body is unable to dispel these fibers, the lungs become inflamed (asbestosis). In that stage the cancer may plus affect the lymph nodes extending beyond those in the chest. In Stage I the tumor is resectable, while lymph nodes remain unaffected. The early symptoms tend to be generic and even nonexistent in some cases, and it can take as much as 15 to 50 years after exposure to develop. Doctors identify Stage IV, the final stage, when evidence of the spread of cancer to other organs (metastasis) is confirmed.

TNM System Stage I of the TNM System involves the lining of the right or left lung, pericardium, or diaphragm on the same side. Patients who have peritoneal mesothelioma (a less common profile of mesothelioma) generally experience abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling, often in addition to the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. He hopes to expose the continued cover-up of the asbestos industry responsible for the causes of mesothelioma.

Copyright 2007 Mesothelioma-Adviser.com Stage II begins when mesothelioma spreads from the lining of the

lung on one side to a lymph node on the same side. that system concentrates upon determining the extent of primary tumor mass and divides mesothelioma into four stages.

Stage I of the Butchart System consists of the presence of mesothelioma in the lining of the right or left lung and may plus involve the diaphragm on the same side. They may plus develop bowel obstruction or further breathing obstruction.

Stages and Diagnosis of Mesothelioma

There are three staging systems used to determine treatment for mesothelioma: Butchart System, TNM System, and the Brigham System

Butchart Staging System

The Butchart System is the oldest system and the most common. At that stage, the cancer may plus spread to the lung, pericardium, or diaphragm on the same side. The onset of Stage III begins when the mesothelioma surpasses the diaphragm into the lining of the abdominal cavity or peritoneum. At that stage, lymph nodes are not involved. Mesothelioma treatment programs are contingent upon many factors, including the stage of the cancer, the location of the cancer, the spread of mesothelioma cancer, the characteristics of the cancer cells under a microscope and the patient’s age and concerns.

About the Author:

Dave Casey is a freelance writer for Mesothelioma-Adviser.com, a comprehensive informational site on mesothelioma cancer. Stage IV occurs when doctors discover metastatic disease involving distant organs.

After doctors identify the stage of a patient’s malignant mesothelioma, the patient and doctor consider the various treatment options available. Stage III can occur with or without lymph involvement and extends into the chest wall and heart. Metastasis is the final aftereffect in that stage.

Brigham System

The Brigham System determines the resectability (the ability to surgically remove) the mesothelioma mass. There may plus be lymph nodes in the chest. By Dave Casey

The Causes

Mesothelioma cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers or dust. Stage II includes the progression of mesothelioma into the chest wall, esophagus, or lung lining on bother sides. that condition worsens and eventually becomes malignant. In Stage III the tumor becomes unresectable.

Original post by valerian