Staging determines a cancer’s severity and also indicates the available treatment options. Based on the stage of a patient's disease, specialists can prescribe treatments to remove the cancer or focus on limiting patient discomfort. Below are visual representations of mesothelioma staging and the average life expectancy for each stage of pleural mesothelioma specifically.
Specialists use a separate staging system for peritoneal mesothelioma — one which scores the extent of the disease within the abdomen. This staging system is called the Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI). We have simplified that scoring system so that patients can correspond it with the more well-known four-stage model:
“Even though mesothelioma is not curable, it’s treatable and mesothelioma is not a death sentence. Anybody who has mesothelioma: Jump on it with both feet. Get on the road to wellness. If it’s concentrated in one area, have it taken out. You’ll live longer.”
- Gary M., a pleural mesothelioma survivor who was diagnosed in 2014