Stage 4 is known as the final stage of asbestos cancer or mesothelioma. This is actually the most difficult stage to treat. Nevertheless, there are still some treatment options that can be tried. Most often, the majority of patients with stage-4 mesothelioma opt for palliative treatment options which are used to make the patient feel more comfortably.
The Late Stage of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma reaches the final stage when it has spread or metastasized to various areas of the body, not only close to the initial point of origin. At this juncture, the patient is not eligible for some of the more dangerous and aggressive mesothelioma treatments, yet other treatment options are still available in order to make the patient feel more comfortable and to extend the life expectancy.
Stage-4 Mesothelioma Treatment Alternatives
When a patient has reached the stage 4 mesothelioma, the plan of treatment is commonly more palliative, which is devoted to relieving the pain, rather than curative. The main objective for physician of patients with the disease at this stage is to alleviate the occurring pain and enhance the quality of life by any possible means available. There are some treatment options that can be run for this very purpose.
- Chemotherapy
This particular treatment is commonly used to shrink tumors and slow down their growth rate. It can be run in a form of pill or intravenously. Chemotherapy is somewhat curative yet may be able to help the patients to reach longer life expectancy. This is one of the most chosen and common options for patients diagnosed with the late stage of mesothelioma.
- Radiation
Radiation is devoted to shrinking tumors and killing mesothelioma cells. Different types of radiation are used, which is dependent on the location of the initial occurrence of tumor. For patients diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma, radiation is sometimes used to reduce the pain from tumors.
- Palliative surgery
Palliative surgeries for late stage mesothelioma patients can enhance the quality of life while at the same time bringing down the symptoms. Some research have shown that these surgeries improve the life expectancy as well.
Clinical Trials of Stage 4 Mesothelioma
The experimental treatments can potentially have sounder impacts than can standard treatments. Some clinical trials are even more formed specifically for treating the late-stage mesothelioma patients and patients that did not see the results from any form of standard treatments. One of the most ways to enhance your prognosis and also the likelihood of defeating mesothelioma is through clinical trials. Clinical trials are currently underway for the late stage of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma patient.
Regardless of its efficacy, few patients diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma somehow question the importance of clinical trial. Exclusive access to convincing new procedures, one-on-one care given by foremost mesothelioma doctors, and the involvement in trials are the main reasons which have helped patients go through their survival triumph.
The Prognosis of Stage 4 Mesothelioma
In the late stage, the mesothelioma has already metastasized to certain areas of the body, presumably some essential organs. This can really have dangerous impacts on the patient’s death. In addition it can make surgery hard for specialists or doctors to carry out, which as a result narrows the patient’s treatment options. Some basic typicality of stage 4 Mesothelioma includes the following:
- The aggressive tumors have spread from the initial location to some other organs in the body
- Definite involvement of lymph node
- Palliative surgery useful to decrease the symptoms
Patients that are diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma commonly have a poorer life expectancy or prognosis than do the earlier stage patients. The median life expectancy for patients in the stage 4 is around twelve months after the diagnosis is carried out. But, it is very urgent for patients to get a second opinion to assure their diagnosis is apt.
The Importance of second Opinion
For patients with stage 4 mesothelioma, a second opinion is indeed critical in deciding on a patient’s staging and the available treatment options. The late stage patients are oftentimes ineligible for surgery or other life-saving treatments so it is so important that all patients are familiar with their diagnosed stage and are sure the accuracy of the diagnosis, giving them the apt clue of what treatments or actions to take. The best way to find out and assure the accuracy of a diagnosis is to gain a second opinion from a doctor specializing in mesothelioma. Doctors that specialize in treating mesothelioma are way more experienced in diagnosing and also staging the very disease.
Alexis Kidd was diagnosed initially with the stage 4 mesothelioma due to the metastasis to her diaphragm. Subsequent to getting a second opinion, it was revealed that the mesothelioma actually grew in her diaphragm and it had yet to metastasize. After getting the second opinion, her diagnosis was rectified to stage 2. She was then given six to twelve months, yet as of 2014, she is still alive and well more than eight years later. After her experience, she said that no one could really predict how much time someone had left.
The systems of Staging Stage 4 Mesothelioma
- Stage 4 (Buchart System)
In the late stage of mesothelioma, the tumor cells have spread to the bloodstream, and this particular system proposes palliative treatments so as to keep the patient feel more comfortable. At this juncture, since it has reached and attacked the bloodstream, the cells of tumor may now be present in the brain, liver, bones, or some other important organs.
- Stage 4 (Brigham System)
In accordance with the Brigham System, the tumor cells have grown and spread to other parts of the body can cannot be simply treated any longer. Dr. David Sugarbaker is the one developing Brigham system and is also recognized as one of the mesothelioma specialists.
- Stage 4 (TNM System)
TNM is known as the most commonly chosen staging system. During the late stage progression of tumor cells, the TNM system evinces that the cancer has metastasized to the lymphatic system and the tumor cells have grown throughout the whole body.
