The name cancer itself sounds frightening and there is no other disease as perilous and life threatening as cancer except for a few others. Cancer cells are differently natured and once they develop in the body due to any reason there is no telling where they would take the victim. They penetrate like an undefeatable force and the devastation they inflict is beyond easy cure.

 Most cancers are named after the part of the body where the cancer first starts. This type of cancer begins in the tissue that surrounds different organs inside the body. This tissue, called mesothelium, protects organs by making a special fluid that allows the organs to move. Mesothelium surrounds the lungs, stomach, and heart, and tumors can begin in any of these areas. Three quarters of mesothelial tumors begin in the pleura of the lungs, with the remainder in the peritoneum (stomach), and a small number in the heart.For many patients with other forms of lung cancer, this chapter may be better ignored since many statements about mesothelioma will not apply to other forms of lung cancer. The presentation of mesothelioma as well as its treatment vary from non-small cell and small lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer which has attracted much attention. First, it is perhaps the only cancer with a clear environmental component. Mesothelioma is directly related to exposure to asbestos with about 80% of mesotheliomas tied to asbestos exposure. From a scientific perspective, the disease is studied to understand how a cancer develops in relation to a specific causative agent. 

 ·          A brief insight to differences in mesothelioma and lung cancer:

The Similarities: 

Another look at the staging of mesothelioma:

A physician will look inside the chest cavity with an instrument called a thorocoscope. This test, called thorocoscope, is usually done in the hospital. Before the test, a local anesthetic is given. The physician may also look inside the abdomen (peritoneoscopy) with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. The peritoneoscope is put into an opening made in the abdomen to ascertain the existence of peritoneal mesothelioma. This test is also usually done in the hospital with a local anesthetic. Biopsies are usually done during the thorcoscope or peritoneoscopy.

 The staging of mesothelioma:

Mesothelioma uses a different staging system called the Butchert system using stages one through four to designate the extent of spread of mesothelioma:

Localized Mesotheliom Stage I:

The cancer is found in the lining of the chest cavity near the lung and heart or in the diaphragm or the lung.

Advanced mesothelioma

 Stage II:

The cancer has spread beyond the lining of the chest to lymph nodes in the chest.

Stage III: Cancer has spread into the chest wall, center of the chest, heart, through the diaphragm, or abdominal lining, and in some cases into nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IV: Cancer has spread to distant organs or tissues.

 The staging system was developed so that proper diagnosis of mesothelioma could be made. The International Mesothelioma Interest Group staging system is another name for the TNM staging procedure. This staging is used as a general staging for all types of cancers. It is through this process that the physicians can further decide what steps to take and how is the treatment going to help the patient. The stages tell doctors about the size, location and the intensity of the disease. All these factors combined together can help both you and your doctor in making the journey through the treatment as easy as possible.

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