There are more people than ever before being diagnosed with mesothelioma. This is a disease which has, until recently, been something which was hardly understood. The main reasons for the disease is due to long term exposure to asbestos even at low intensity exposure. It is a disease which is commonly not found in the body until decades after the exposure occurs. This can make it hard to track as well as difficult to treat. Of course, if you are diagnosed, you will likely fall somewhere within one of the stages included in the mesothelioma staging systems.
What It Is
The mesothelioma staging systems have been developed to let you as a patient know where you stand in terms of the disease. They are also used by doctors to determine whether you are able to utilize certain treatment processes. Each of the different systems has different characteristics which make it popular with different sets of doctors. It is important to understand the different stages as well as the staging systems so that you know where you stand in every situation.
Butchart Staging System
This is the oldest and the most popular of all of the different mesothelioma staging systems. It has been designed with four different stages which represent the different locations that a tumor might be located in. The only place in which it falls short is that it does not take into consideration the cancer cells and the effect that it is having on the body. Still, it provides an accurate representation of where the patient is at in terms of the disease to allow doctors and patients alike to easily understand where they are in terms of the treatment options.
TNM Staging System
The TNM staging system is new in comparison to the 30 year old Butchart staging system. The difference between the two mesothelioma staging systems are slight, but enough to make a differentiation in name and in definition. This system gets its name for the tumor (T) size and proximity to organs in the area, spread of the disease to the lymph nodes (N), and metastasis (M). This information is used to decide which of the four stages, similar to Butchart system, the patient falls into. It was developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) to provide a more accurate portrayal of the illness.
Brigham Staging System
Seeing as the best method for treating mesothelioma is to use a multimodal approach – an approach which involves multiple treatment options used together – there needed to be a system which would provide accurate information about which kinds of surgery are available. As with the other mesothelioma staging systems, this one includes the four stage system, but does not include anything which will mention the size or kind of tumor. It specifies the location of the tumor and the ability to remove it based on the effect that it will have on the body to do so.