Mesothelioma is a disease that most people have never even heard of. It only appears in those who have been exposed to asbestos, and is diagnosed in approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people per year, but those who have been told that they are suffering from this rare and fatal disease quickly learn far more than they ever wanted to know about the condition, its causes, treatments and outlook.
One of the most frequently asked questions posed by those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma has to do with their prognosis. People want to know what their life expectancy is, and whether there is anything that they can do to extend it. They also want to know what their future with the disease holds.
Mesothelioma is Highly Unpredictable
Knowing what to expect when you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma is very difficult, because it can be a highly unpredictable disease. Though medical science has discovered a number of highly effective treatments that have bee shown to offer hope for greater quality of life for those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the prognosis for the disease is still grim.
The average life expectancy for those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma is between eight months and two years, though there are those who have lived with the disease for several years. There are a number of determining factors and variables that can be looked to for an indication of what an individual can expect.
Mesothelioma Life Expectancy Variables
Researchers and mesothelioma specialists have determined that there are certain aspects of each individual mesothelioma patient’s status and disease that can serve as predictors not only to how long they can be expected to live, but also which course of treatment is most suitable. Though patients generally aren’t able to control any of these variables, it is still helpful for the patient to understand what they are so that informed decisions can be made.
The factors that are most important in predicting an individual patient’s prognosis include the kind of mesothelioma that has been diagnosed (pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial,) the stage at which the mesothelioma was diagnosed, the type of cells the mesothelioma tumors are made up of, whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, and your overall health condition, including age, gender, and other physical maladies that may be present.
- Kinds of Mesothelioma: Mesothelioma attacks the lining of the mesothelium, an organ that lines the cavity holding the lungs, abdominal organs, and heart. Though all mesothelioma is considered fatal, some are more effectively treated than others. Pleural mesothelioma, which appears in the lungs, is seen in 80% of cases and has the best prognosis, while peritoneal mesothelioma is more difficult. Pericardial is extremely rare and is seen in less than two percent of cases, and is very challenging to treat because of its proximity to the heart.
- Stage of Mesothelioma: As is true with all cancer diagnoses, an important part of determining the appropriate treatment lies in staging the degree to which the disease has advanced in the body. Because mesothelioma has such a long latency period and resides in the body for such a long time before its symptoms become evident, it is extremely rare for it to be diagnosed prior to Stage II. Unfortunately, it is during Stage I and Stage II that patients have the longest life expectancies. Staging identifies how far the tumor has advanced and what organs have been impacted, as well as whether the cancer cells have metastasized to other areas of the body.
- Type of Mesothelioma Cells: Mesothelioma is known to present with three different cell types: epithelial, sarcomatoid and mixed (a combination of the two). Those patients whose mesothelioma is diagnosed as of the epithelial cell type account for approximately half of cases seen, and have the best prognosis. Mixed type cells appear in 35% of cases and sarcomatoid in the remaining 15%, with sarcomatoid having the most challenging prognosis.
- Overall Health Condition: It has been well documented that the younger and healthier a mesothelioma patient is at the time of their diagnosis, the longer they are able to survive. Much of this has to do with the ability to withstand the rigors of mesothelioma’s more aggressive treatment protocols. Having additional health problems (such as diabetes, cardiovascular complications, history of stroke, etc.) will exacerbate the problems presented by mesothelioma, making treatment more challenging.
Maximizing Mesothelioma Life Expectancy
One of the most important things that a person who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma can do to help themselves and to maximize their life expectancy is to seek medical treatment from a qualified mesothelioma specialist. These highly-trained physicians have extensive exposure to this rare disease, as well as cutting-edge knowledge of all of the latest and most successful treatment options.
Survival Rates
Doctors use a statistic called survival rate as one prognostic factor for each individual patient. This is considered along with all the other, above factors to give a patient the most accurate possible estimate for life expectancy after a mesothelioma diagnosis. Statistics typically measure a five-year survival rate, which is the percentage of patients that live five years or more after receiving a cancer diagnosis.
A prognosis can be made more accurate by looking at five-year survival rates because they take into account large populations of cancer patients. For mesothelioma survival rates, only mesothelioma patients are measured. Although these numbers are useful, and even when used in conjunction with a patient’s individual characteristics, a prognosis is still only an estimate.
Survival rates for mesothelioma are generally low compared to many other types of cancers. Generally, for all types of mesothelioma, patients diagnosed at age 45 or older have a five-year survival rate of only 20 percent. For younger patients the survival rate goes up to 37 percent. Survival rates and life expectancies for mesothelioma have also been measured by stage.
For stage I mesothelioma, the median survival rate is 21 months, for stage II the life expectancy drops to 19 months. For patients diagnosed at stage III, a median life expectancy is only 16 months, and for stage IV patients it is only 12 months, or one year. These are median numbers only and individual factors influence how long a patient will survive after a diagnosis.
Living with a Difficult Prognosis
It is not unusual for the prognosis for any stage of mesothelioma to be poor. Receiving that prognosis can come as a shock. Facing it is not easy, but it means that you have to make some big choices, and soon. The best thing to do when getting this news is to gather the support of loved ones. Being around and being supported by people who care will be the most important way of coping with a difficult diagnosis and prognosis.
Being given a poor prognosis after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer like mesothelioma is devastating to most people. If you are facing this situation, you have important choices to make. Even if you choose to be aggressive with treatment, your prognosis is still likely to be disappointing. Now you have to live with that prognosis, and that won’t be easy.
It also helps to spend time with other people who know what you are experiencing. Your friends and family care and they love you, but they don’t necessarily understand what it is like to be given a terminal diagnosis. Consider joining a cancer support group, a mesothelioma support group, if you can find one. There are plenty of support groups you can meet with in person or online. These people will understand you and provide a source of solace you won’t find anywhere else.
As a final step in coming to grips with your prognosis, you may want to consider starting a lawsuit to seek justice for the illness you are now facing. Chances are there was someone or some company to blame for your cancer if you were exposed to asbestos. A lawsuit can give you a sense of justice and closure, but can also provide money for your medical care and to help your loved ones after you are gone.
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