Explain the staging of mesothelioma.
Staging allows the patient and doctor to determine treatment options. Staging is divided into 3 areas, designated by the capital letters TNM:
• T refers to whether the original tumor has exceeded its margins.
• N stands for lymph nodes that are affected.
• M refers to metastasis to other areas of the body.
Pleural mesothelioma is further divided into overall stages:
Stage I -The cancer is present only on the pleura of the chest wall and the outer lining of the lungs.
Stage II-The cancer has spread into the lining of the lung, the internal lung tissues, or the diaphragm.
Stage III-The cancer has invaded chest lymph nodes, or has not yet invaded lymph nodes but has spread to the mediastinum or the outer layer of the heart.
Stage IV-The cancer is present in adjacent structures, with or without spread to remote areas of the body.