The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options for mesothelioma may vary patient to patient, and are influenced by the following factors:
- The stage of the mesothelioma.
- The size of the mesothelioma tumor.
- Whether the mesothelioma tumor can be removed completely by surgery.
- The amount of fluid in the chest or abdomen.
- The patient’s age and general health, including lung and heart health.
- The type of mesothelioma cancer cells and how they look under a microscope.
- Whether the mesothelioma has just been diagnosed or has recurred (come back).
After malignant mesothelioma has been diagnosed, various tests are done to find out if malignant mesothelial cells have spread to other parts of the body, which in turn affect the prognosis. The process used to find out if mesothelioma has spread outside the pleura or peritoneum is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the spread of the mesothelioma in order to plan treatment.
Mesothelioma Survival Rates For Females pdf
Mesothelioma Survival Rates For Males pdf
HOW MESOTHELIOMA METASTASIZES (How mesothelioma spreads throughout the body)
The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:
1. Through tissue. When mesothelioma invades the surrounding normal tissue.
2. Through the lymph system. When mesothelioma invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body.
3. Through the blood. When mesothelioma invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.
When malignant mesothelial cells break away from the primary (original) mesothelioma tumor and travel through the lymph or blood to other places in the body, another (secondary) mesothelioma tumor may form. This process is called metastasis. The secondary (metastatic) mesothelioma tumor is the same type as the primary tumor. For example, if mesothelioma spreads to the brain, the cancer cells in the brain are actually breast mesothelioma cancer cells. The disease is metastatic brain cancer, not brain cancer.
MESOTHELIOMA STAGING
The stages of malignant mesothelioma are divided into two groups, localized and advanced.
STAGE 1 Localized malignant mesothelioma
In localized malignant mesothelioma, cancer is found in the lining of the chest wall and may also be found in the lining of the lung, the lining of the diaphragm, or the lining of the sac that covers the heart on the same side of the chest.
STAGE II, III, IV Advanced malignant mesothelioma
Advanced malignant mesothelioma includes stage II, stage III, and stage IV.
Stage II
Stage II mesothelioma is found in the lining of the chest wall and the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest. Mesothelioma may also be found in the lining of the lung, the lining of the diaphragm, or the lining of the sac that covers the heart on the same side of the chest.
Stage III, mesothelioma has spread to any of the following areas:
The chest wall.
The mediastinum.
The heart.
Beyond the diaphragm.