Mesothelioma Staging
How is mesothelioma staged?
http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/stages
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.
http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/stages