Stage IV of the Butchart mesothelioma staging system is characterized by the ubiquitous presence of mesothelioma: the cancer has spread via the bloodstream to all parts of the body. This stage is also known as distant metastatic cancer. Stage IV of the Butchart mesothelioma staging system is characterized by the ubiquitous presence of mesothelioma: the cancer has spread via the bloodstream to all parts of the body. This stage is also known as distant metastatic cancer.
As the malignant mesothelioma cells spread throughout the body, cancer cells within the tumors are shed and move into the tumor’s extracellular matrix – the layer of proteins that separate the tumor from the tissues that surround it. They then emit chemicals that break up this matrix, allowing large numbers of follow-on cells to escape. These travel through the body, eventually taking root in new locations and forming tumors.
Signals emitted by these tumor cells eventually “capture” blood vessels and reroute them into the malignant mass, supplying these tumors with nutrients and removing their wastes.
The final spread and growth of malignant cells into body as a whole defines Butchart Stage IV mesothelioma.
