Mesothelioma Survival Rates, Statics, Causes & Treatment

Mesothelioma survival rates give patients and their loved ones an idea of ​​how many other long-term survivors have faced the same diagnosis.

Key Points

• 1 Mesothelioma survival rates are shown in 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year increments.
• 2 Patient survival will vary based on the type of cancer, stage, treatment and other factors.
• 3 Survival statistics can give patients insight into their survival.
• 4 Remission and recurrence are possible in mesothelioma patients.

Mesothelioma survival rates indicate ​​how long patients are likely to live based on their diagnosis, usually in 5-year increments. For aggressive cancers such as malignant mesothelioma that often result in less than five-year survival, 3-year and 1-year survival rates are also commonly given. Survival rates differ frommesothelioma prognosisand life expectancy because they provide percentages based on annual probabilities, as opposed to information about the progression of the disease or a specific estimate of how many years a person is expecting to live.

Factors Affecting Mesothelioma Survival Rates

Statistics are usually based on large-scale case studies or information from cancer databases covering large populations. However, while the figures represent the majority, they may vary from case to case. Many factors can affect individual patient survival and cause deviations from the average survival rate for a given diagnosis.

Factors Affecting The Survival Of Mesothelioma

• Type of mesothelioma (site)
• Cell type
• The platform
• Patient age and sex
• Life as a whole
• Blood count
• Genetics
• Smoking history

Mesothelioma Type And Survival

The type ofmesothelioma is one of the most important factors used by specialists to determine survival rates. Four main types include pleural, peritoneal, and testicular mesothelioma, which differ based on where the cancer originates. The tumor’s location affects survival because which organs are affected by cancer, including nearby organs that may be affected by metastasis (spreading).

Average 5-Year Of Mesothelioma Survival Rates

• I-Pleural mesothelioma:12%
• I-Peritoneal mesothelioma:65%
• I-Pericardial mesothelioma:23%

Cell type can indicate how likely the cancer is to spread and respond to treatment. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is less responsive to treatment with rapidly spreading cells, while epithelioid mesothelioma cases show a longer life expectancy. Biphasic contains both cells, and cancer progression varies based on which cell type predominates.

Mesothelioma Staging and Survival

Stagingindicates how advanced the cancer is at diagnosis. Stage 1 and 2 diagnoses show higher mesothelioma survival rates than those diagnosed at later stages, as cancer has not yet spread to distant organs and lymph nodes. When mesothelioma cancer is localized, aggressive treatment can kill most cancer cells and help prevent metastasis.

SEER Level and 5-Year Pleural Survival Rates

• Local:18%
• Area:11%
• Distance:7%

According to survival rate statistics, the National Cancer Institute maintains a database that tracks the survival rates of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Phantomization is seen locally, locally or remotely, instead of using four numerical phases. Local means cancer has not spread; the area indicates that cancer has spread to nearby tissues and organs, while the index cancer has spread to distant body parts.

Other Factors And Survival Of Mesothelioma

Other factors, such as the patient’s age, sex, health, blood count, genetics and smoking history, do not predict patient survival but have been shown to affect survival rates. For example, survival rates tend to decline with age, and men often face worse survival rates than women.

Abnormalities in blood counts and genetics have also seen to affect survival rates. Those with a smoking history tend to face a shorter life expectancy than mesothelioma patients with no history of tobacco use.

I-Mesothelioma Survival Statistics

Information is limited on mesothelioma as it is rare, especially in pericardial and testicular diagnosed in less than 5% of all recorded cases. About 3,200 new mesothelioma cases diagnosed each year, adding to the existing data set and providing more insight into how the disease progresses and impacts survival.

Survival statistics show that median survival varies based on the type of mesothelioma or the tumor’s location.Malignant peritoneal mesotheliomashows the best overall survival rate, followed bymalignant pleural mesotheliomaandmalignant pericardial mesothelioma. Because there are very few cases of data is limited, and survival rates are very difficult to predict.

When studying mesothelioma’s incidence and survival rates, researchers have sought to better understand why peritoneal mesothelioma is often associated with high survival rates. Others have identified a possible link between the location of the tumor and the type of exposure at work.

Some studies, in particular, have found that pleural mesothelioma is often associated with occupational exposure, negatively impacting survival rates. Peritoneal mesothelioma is often the result of exposures, which may contribute to better survival rates. Information limited on pericardial mesothelioma due to the limited number of cases.

In a study of 380 mesothelioma patients:

• Three hundred three patients were diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, and 77 were diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma.
• The average survival for pleural patients was 18.4 months, and the average survival for peritoneal patients was 75.7 months.
• 284 patients dealt with occupational exposure, and 96 patients dealt with occupational exposure.
• Median survival was 19.7 months for patients with occupational exposure and 53.7 months for nonoccupational patients.

Studies continue to find and analyze other connections between patient characteristics and survival rates, such as occupation, duration of exposure, age at first exposure and type of asbestos. Researchers have concluded that patients can help improve their chances of early detection by identifying a history ofasbestos exposureand sharing any information about the time, duration and frequency of exposure with their doctor.

Treatment And Survival Rates For Mesothelioma

Researchers also attribute peritoneal survival rates and improved overall survival rates to advances in treatment. Clinical trials continue to explore experimental treatments and alternative uses of traditional medicine in an effort to prolong patient survival and find potential cures.

In recent years, peritoneal mesothelioma, in particular, has seen improved treatment methods, such as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy (HIOC). HIPEC involves the use of a warm chemotherapy bath throughout the abdominal area during surgery. HIOC uses the same concept, but it can be used in other areas of the body and is not specific to peritoneal mesothelioma.

• Patients previously treated with surgery and HIPEC saw a survival of 34-92 months and, more recently, 53-92 months, suggesting an improvement in the treatment method itself.
• HIOC, in combination with extra pleural pneumonectomy (EPP), was also observed to increase median survival from 12.8 months to 27.1 months.

Mesothelioma surgeryhas been able to prolong the life of many pleural mesothelioma patients, such as pleurectomy decortication (P/D) and EPP. Patients and their loved ones should discuss possible treatment options, including quality and testing, with their mesothelioma doctor to determine the suitability and individual treatment plan.

If new treatments or aggressive strategies are not possible, cancer patients may undergo palliative care to help manage symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Mesothelioma Survivors

Mesothelioma survival rates can seem daunting to patients and their families. However, there is hope not only in improving mesothelioma survival rates but also in the stories of survivors who have lived beyond the expected time of their diagnosis.

Heather Von St. James

• He was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2006
• He was initially given 15 months to live
• He was treated with extra pleural pneumonectomy, surgery and radiation therapy
• Celebrating 13 years without cancer

Wendy Holmes

• He has diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma in 1996
• Initially, he was given 12-18 months to live
• Chemotherapy and holistic approaches to cancer in 1998
• Celebrating 21 years without cancer

Survivors continue to not only give hope to others but also spread awareness of mesothelioma, asbestos and the need for more research into this disease. Research, diagnostic advances and treatment advances have played a major role in helping to improve survival statistics, which will hopefully continue to improve in the years to come.