Stage 4 mesothelioma: The Last of This Deadly Cancer
Stage 4 mesothelioma
Stage 4 mesothelioma is often considered a terminal. In this final stage of mesothelioma, cancer cells have spread throughout the chest, stomach and other parts of the body (metastasize).
Tumor removal surgery is no longer an available treatment, and the main focus of therapy is palliative treatment to reduce pain and improve quality of life. Life expectancy of stage 4 mesothelioma patients is around one year.
Stage 4 Mesothelioma
The latest version of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging System (Issue 8), published in 2017, only provides staging information for pleural mesothelioma. For peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma, doctors must rely on general cancer guidelines to determine the stage and progression of cancer.
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Stage 4 Pleural Mesothelioma
As the most common form, malignant pleural mesothelioma is the only type that has its own staging system. In fact, for years at least three types of staging systems have been developed for pleural mesothelioma, with the Butchart System being the most commonly used system today.
Definition of Stage 4 Mesothelioma by the Staging System:
1. Butchart System - This disease has spread throughout the bloodstream to distant organs.
2. TNM system - Tumors have metastasized throughout the body. Other organs and lymph nodes are involved - both nearby and far away.
3. Brigham System - Disease spread has made surgery impossible again. There is a high chance of relapse if the tumor is indeed removed.
Stage 4 Peritoneal Mesothelioma
There is no specific staging system for peritoneal mesothelioma because there are not enough cases. However, the doctor can still determine what stage peritoneal mesothelioma looks like at the stage of manual stage cancer.
Thus, stage 4 peritoneal mesothelioma is characterized by the spread of tumors outside the area directly from the peritoneum. This includes spreading to the lymph nodes, throughout the abdominal cavity, and to the chest wall and other areas of the body.
Stage 4 Pericardial Mesothelioma
Like peritoneal mesothelioma, there is no formal staging system for pericardial mesothelioma. Because it is very rare, the disease is almost always before the final stage of mesothelioma, and this particular form of cancer is often diagnosed during autopsy after the patient dies.
Doctors can use general staging guidelines in the AJCC Cancer Staging Guide to determine the stage at diagnosis. Stage 4 pericardial mesothelioma usually consists of spreading tumors outside the pericardium and the entire chest cavity, possibly to other parts of the body such as the stomach or esophagus.
Stage 4 Mesothelioma Prognosis: What to Expect
As the last stage of mesothelioma, stage 4 has the poorest overall prognosis of all stages of mesothelioma. The average survival in stage 4 is only 12 months, while diagnosing the previous stage often results in a longer life expectancy. In addition to mesothelioma staging, the individual's prognosis also depends on their overall health, age, type and cell type from their malignant mesothelioma.
Statistics compiled by the National Cancer Institute show that this final stage of survival is very bad. Only 6.9% of people who have end-stage mesothelioma with disease spread to distant areas of the body - a common feature of stage 4 cancer - live beyond 5 years.
When the disease progresses through four stages, mesothelioma symptoms tend to become more severe. Also, some new symptoms may appear during advanced stages of mesothelioma cancer that are absent or very mild before.
Common Symptoms Stage 4 Mesothelioma
General feeling of being unhealthy or tired
Breathing difficulties and shortness of breath (dyspnea)
Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
Pain and tightness in the chest
Night sweats and fever
Abdominal pain and discomfort
Accumulation of fluid in the chest or abdomen
Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
Weight loss without reason
Treating Stage 4 Mesothelioma
In the final stage, treatment of mesothelioma
Treatment
You can read full treatment of the mesothelioma here.
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