Stage III

Stage III of the TNM mesothelioma staging system is characterized by the spread of tumors and malignant cells into the muscle of the chest wall and/or the heart, ribs, esophagus or other chest organs on the same side as the primary tumor; the lymph nodes located at the branching of the windpipe and in the space behind the chest bone may also become malignant, and the disease may also have spread into the lung, pericardium or diaphragm on the same side as the major tumor. Stage III of the TNM mesothelioma staging system is characterized by the spread of tumors and malignant cells into the muscle of the chest wall and/or the heart, ribs, esophagus or other chest organs on the same side as the primary tumor; the lymph nodes located at the branching of the windpipe and in the space behind the chest bone may also become malignant, and the disease may also have spread into the lung, pericardium or diaphragm on the same side as the major tumor.

The spread of mesothelioma from the pleura on one side into nearby muscles, bones, organs, and lymph nodes next to the lung on the same side is the defining characteristics of TNM Stage III mesothelioma.