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What are the Stages of Mesothelioma?
What are the Stages of Mesothelioma?

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to Asbestos, it can be overwhelming to consider what is next. People who are diagnosed are then placed with a medical team who will treat the cancer.

The question becomes what are the treatment options for those with Mesothelioma. Staging is part of the process of determining how much cancer is in the body, and where it is located so a proper care plan can be put into place. The staging process makes an assessment of how much cancer is found in the body and then a staging level is assigned that describes how advanced the cancer is.

The Different Stages and Severity of Mesothelioma

Using the most standard type of staging method called the International Mesothelioma Interest Group Staging, or (IMIG), the following stages have been used for the descriptions of the levels of cancer.

  • Stage Ia is where the mesothelioma is found in one side of the chest lining and wall. It may also be found in the lining of the chest cavity between the lungs and the diaphragm. The visceral pleura ( the membrane that covers the surface of lungs and dips into the different lobes of the lungs) cannot be affected to be at this early stage of the disease.
  • Stage Ib is where the mesothelioma is found in one side of the chest in the lining that covers the lungs.

    It can at this point also be in the lining between the chest cavity between the lungs and/or the lining that covers the diaphragm.
  • Stage II is where the mesothelioma has spread to both layers  of the pleura on one whole side of the body and a tumorous mass has formed on the pleura tissue around the lung tissue or diaphragm muscle.
  • Stage III is where the mesothelioma has spread to the chest wall and the covering of the heart. At this stage the lymph nodes are usually affected but only on the same side of the chest as the spread itself. Any tumors at this stage are still able to be removed.
  • Stage IV is mesothelioma which is wide-spread. It is located in both sides of the chest or the lymph nodes, and can have even affected other organs of the body whereby it is called metastatic. Surgery at this stage is not often available to remove the cancer because it is so wide spread.

The different stages described above are guides in which your medical team uses to determine the extent of the mesothelioma as well as the treatment options that are best tailored for the cancer.

Contact our Attorneys for Caring Legal Guidance

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, contact our lawyers at Charles Boyk Law today so we can discuss these important issues with you. We are experienced in filing claims for Mesothelioma and are skilled to handle the special issues that arise from this diagnosis.

We will listen and work hard to help you make a maximum recovery for your injuries.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation
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