Brigham System - Mesothelioma Staging Systems

    Once doctors have determined that a patient is suffering from mesothelioma, they must determine the development of the cancer. This is achieved by a method known as "staging." While some cancer staging systems measure the extent of tumor growth exclusively, the Brigham System also indicates whether reductive surgery is an option for the patient. This particular system is the one least used to measure the stages of development because this particular cancer is seldom operable (since it is usually not diagnosed until later stages).

    The Brigham system consists of four distinctive stages, each of which considers two variables: the possible efficacy or inefficacy of surgery to reduce or remove the mass from the patient's body, as well as the presence or absence of cancer in the lymph nodes.

    The Brigham System can be outlined as followed:

• Stage I - the cancer can be removed with surgery, and there is no growth in the nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage II - the masses developing in the pleura or lungs can still be removed with surgery, but the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage III - the masses can no longer be removed with surgery, because the cancer has spread to the chest wall, heart, or through the diaphragm into the lining of the abdomen.
• Stage IV - the cancer has greatly metastasized, spreading through the bloodstream to distant regions of the body; possibly into bones, the brain, and other major organs of the body. This is also known as distant metastatic cancer.

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