The severity of a cancer diagnosis is indicated through the widely utilized system known as staging. A variety of staging systems have been created to help doctors determine a patient’s prognosis and ideal course of treatment. In the staging of mesothelioma cancer, three systems exist to aid doctors and patients in diagnosis. Generally these staging systems apply only to pleural mesothelioma, which attacks the lining of the chest cavity. This is because other forms of mesothelioma are far less common, affecting individuals with relative infrequence. Patients can still apply these staging systems to the other forms of this cancer, although they are traditionally most accurate for pleural mesothelioma. Become more informed about the progression of mesothelioma and the treatment options available to patients. Fill out the form below to receive detailed information from MesotheliomaSymptoms.com concerning all aspects of this disease.
Though similar in many ways, each of the three systems used to stage mesothelioma measures various factors of a patient’s malignant mesothelioma. Each staging system considers the tumor’s size, location, and cell type as well as whether the cancer has metastasized and whether the patient’s lymph nodes have been affected by the disease.
The accurate staging of mesothelioma is extremely important because doctors use this initial diagnosis to help determine the course of treatment a patient should choose. Mesothelioma, in particular, demands a quick diagnosis and coordinating treatment plan because it can spread quickly and is typically diagnosed only in advanced stages.
The initial steps taken after a cancer diagnosis are arguably the most important, and correct staging is a large component of these initial actions. To facilitate the accurate staging of mesothelioma cancer, doctors utilize several types of tests. These include the following:
After staging a patient’s cancer, doctors should reveal their findings and then discuss and agree on a treatment plan with the patient. In addition to the stage of the cancer, a patient’s age, health status, and specific health wishes all dictate the course of treatment doctors and patients choose.