Mesothelioma stages are the assessment levels that doctors use to determine the extent of the cancer within the body. Upon being diagnosed, the mesothelioma cancer will be given a stage between 1 and 4, with Stage 4 mesothelioma being the most severe.
As with the staging of other types of cancer, the stage is determined only at diagnosis and does not change. For example, if a Stage 1 mesothelioma tumor spreads to other parts of the body, it is still called Stage 1 with metastasis; likewise, if a later stage mesothelioma tumor reduces in size or goes into remission, the stage will not change. Of course, treatment may change depending on the patient’s individual circumstances.
Given the rarity of mesothelioma, a formal staging classification exists only for pleural mesothelioma – the most common variety – which affects the lining of the lung and chest cavity. Basic staging can be determined through the use of imaging scans, which provide cancer specialists with a visual representation of the extent of the tumor within the body. If the results of imaging scans are inconclusive or it appears that the disease is not localized, a physician may ask the patient to undergo biopsy to determine whether the malignant cells have metastasized to the blood or lymph nodes through laboratory testing.
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