Mesothelioma stages
Staging for mesothelioma refers to the size of the cancer and whether it has spread. There are different staging systems: TNM and IMIG.
Staging for mesothelioma
The stage of a cancer refers to its size and whether it has spread beyond the area of the body where it first started. Knowing the extent of the cancer helps the doctors decide on the most appropriate treatment for you.
There are a number of different staging systems. Many are based on the TNM system where:
- T describes the size of the cancer.
- N describes whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and which nodes are involved. For example, N0 means that no lymph nodes are affected, while N1 means there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes.
- M describes whether the cancer has spread (metastasised) to another part of the body. For example, M0 means the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body, while M1 means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
There are different staging systems for the different types of mesothelioma.
We understand that waiting to know the stage and grade of your cancer can be a worrying time. We're here if you need someone to talk to. You can:
- Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00.
- Chat to our specialists online
Staging for pleural mesothelioma
The staging system most commonly used for pleural mesothelioma is called the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) system. It is based on the TNM system, which has been adapted for mesothelioma.
A simplified version of the IMIG system is described below.
Stage 1
Cancer cells are only found in the inner or outer pleura in one side of the chest. The cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or outside of the chest.
Stage 1 is divided into:
- Stage 1a – Cancer cells are only found in one or more areas in the inner or outer layer of the pleura.
- Stage 1b – Cancer cells have broken through the pleura into the tissue just beneath, for example to the surface of the lung.
Stage 2
The cancer is in the same areas as stage 1, but has also spread to nearby lymph nodes (N1).
Stage 3
Stage 3 is divided into:
- Stage 3a – Cancer cells have spread deeper into the tissues beneath the pleura. For example:
- deeper into the tissues in the chest wall
- into, but not through, the outer lining of the heart (pericardium)
- to fatty tissue in the centre of the chest, and nearby nodes (N1).
- Stage 3b – Cancer cells have spread:
- into lymph nodes in the centre of the chest or lymph nodes further away from the lungs (N2).
- Or they have spread further into the chest wall, through the pericardium or to nearby organs. It may or may not have spread to lymph nodes.
Stage 4
The cancer has spread outside of the chest to another area (metastasis or M1).
Staging for peritoneal mesothelioma
There is no specific staging system for peritoneal mesothelioma. But doctors sometimes use the TNM system.
Some doctors use an adapted TNM system called the Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI).
This looks at:
- the number of tumours in the peritoneum
- the size of the tumours
- where the tumours are in the tummy area (abdomen).
This is put together with information about whether the cancer has spread to any lymph nodes or to any areas outside of the peritoneum. PCI is not routinely used in the UK. But you can ask your doctors for more information if you have any questions.
We understand that waiting to know the stage and grade of your cancer can be a worrying time. We're here if you need someone to talk to. You can:
- Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00.
- Chat to our specialists online