Mesothelioma Stages: The Butchart System

Diagnosis
And, so it is with mesothelioma. Diagnosis starts with a medical history review, examination, and diagnostic testing. During your medical history review and examination you will learn facts that he will use as clues to direct him. Your symptoms, your work history, and likelihood of exposure to asbestos and other facts, combined, will give him an idea what to look for, and thus, a list of diagnostic tests to run that will give him the foundation for a his diagnosis. If he suspects mesothelioma, you can expect the following list of tests to be done:

• X-rays of chest, abdomen or both
• Pulmonary function tests (to measure breathing capacity)
• CAT scan or MRI
• Biopsy (if a mass is present it is needed to confirm a mesothelioma diagnosis)

Progression of Mesothelioma
Once mesothelioma is diagnosed, its progression is measured by classifying symptoms into four stages, called staging. Staging systems measure the extent that the primary mass has spread within the body. It does not account for secondary tumors or complications caused by the cancer. All staging systems describe the stages that originate from the pleura, since over 80% of mesothelioma cases manifest in the pleura. Only two are used for peritoneal mesothelioma. The Butchart System is not used to stage peritoneal mesothelioma or mesothelioma originating in other organs (see TNM system.)

Staging
Of the three main staging systems for mesothelioma, the Butchart System, named for Dr. Eric Butchart who developed it, is the oldest.

Stage 1
At this stage, the primary tumor is isolated to the pleura on one side or the other, and possibly the diaphragm on that same side. It may also have reached the pericardium, the mesothelial membrane encasing the heart.

Stage 2
At this stage the primary mass is present in both lungs, and may have spread to other organs or lymph nodes within the chest cavity.

Stage 3
The primary mass has entered the peritoneum through the diaphragm. It may also have spread to lymph nodes outside of the chest cavity.

Stage 4
This stage is called “distant metastatic cancer” as it has spread to other parts of the body by way of the blood stream.

Treatment of mesothelioma varies by stage ranging from surgery, radiation and clinical trial in Stage I, to draining the excess fluid from the chest or abdomen, palliative surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a clinical trial of a combination of these treatments.

If you have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma or asbestosis, you may be entitled to compensation. Please visit the website of Parker, Dumler & Kiely, LLP, the experienced mesothelioma lawyers in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

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