Highlighting the Different Mesothelioma Stages
Like all other forms of cancer, they are all a variety of different mesothelioma stages that you or your loved one may move through when you’re dealing with this difficult disease.
A proper diagnosis of mesothelioma not only results in understanding exactly where mesothelioma cancer cells exist in your body, but also which of the mesothelioma stages you are currently in and the types of treatment options available.
Again, just like all other forms of cancer, mesothelioma treatment options are a lot more plentiful when you are talking about the earlier mesothelioma stages. This is why early detection, early diagnosis, and aggressive mesothelioma treatment options should be taken advantage of as soon as humanly possible – giving you every opportunity to destroy these cancer cells before they have a chance to rapidly expand and move throughout the body.
Let’s dig a little bit deeper into the mesothelioma stages you may have to contend with.
Related: Important Information about Mesothelioma Prognosis
Highlighting the Four Major Mesothelioma Stages
Mesothelioma progresses from Stage I to Stage IV, with four individual stops from start to finish.
Those dealing with Stage I mesothelioma are going to have the most treatment options available to them, as the cancer is localized to just one side of the body, has not spread to the lymph nodes, and with aggressive treatment mesothelioma can be stopped dead in its tracks and removed almost completely from the body in most circumstances.
Stage II mesothelioma is still localized to a single side of the body, but the body will also show signs of metastasis in nearby lymph nodes. This is when mesothelioma cancer really starts to spread, when you have to be incredibly aggressive (potentially even taking advantage of surgical solutions), and when you need to consider leveraging a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Those living with Stage III mesothelioma will have already begun to show significant growth and metastasis throughout the body. The cancer cells causing this disease will have grown all over areas of the body, spread throughout the lymph nodes, and begun to impact surrounding critical bodily organs.
Surgery usually isn’t recommended when you begin to enter this particular stage, if only because it would be far too invasive and would cripple necessary body defenses against cancer just trying to repair the damage done by surgery.
Stage IV mesothelioma focuses less on destroying the cancer cells themselves, as they will have undoubtedly spread throughout the body, begun to shut down critical systems, and are almost impossible to completely eradicate. Instead, those dealing with Stage IV mesothelioma will usually take advantage of treatment protocols designed to relieve symptoms of mesothelioma, to provide pain relief, and to make their lives just as comfortable as possible.
Related: The Different Types of Mesothelioma
Proper Diagnosis Is Everything
Now that you understand a bit more about the different mesothelioma stages you or your loved one may have to contend with, it’s important that you recognize, appreciate, and embrace the power and importance of an early diagnosis of this disease.
Mesothelioma begins to establish itself anywhere between 10 and 40 years after exposure to asbestos. As soon as a loved one begins to exhibit signs and symptoms of mesothelioma (especially if they have exposure to asbestos in the past) it’s critical that they move forward with a proper diagnosis protocol just to make sure that everything is on the up and up.
The earlier this condition can be detected, the better your chances of destroying mesothelioma and the better your chances are of fighting – and winning – against this disease. People can conquer this cancer at any of the mesothelioma stages, but the earliest stages give you the best odds.
Related: Facts About Mesothelioma Diagnosis
