A Dangerous Stage Of Cancer Mesothelioma Prognosis

Mesothelioma Prognosis

The stage at which a pleural mesothelioma patient is diagnosed can have a very big impact on the prospects of long-term survival. Receiving a diagnosis during the beginning stage not only influences a patient’s chances of beating the cancer, but improves their odds of positively responding to treatment. If a patient is diagnosed once the disease has reached the advanced stages, treatment options are limited and prognosis is often compromised.

Factors Influencing a Pleural Mesothelioma Prognosis

A patient’s overall health status and age greatly affects the prognosis. Someone who is diagnosed at an earlier age and is in good shape may have an easier time withstanding treatment than someone who has pre-existing health problems. The American Cancer Society reports that 75 percent of those diagnosed with mesothelioma are 55 or older. Statistics also show that men are five times more likely to develop mesothelioma than women.

When a mesothelioma patient is initially diagnosed, doctors first evaluate how far the cancer has spread. Cancer that has not metastasized to other areas of the body gives physicians a lot more treatment options and improves a patient’s prognosis dramatically. Pleural mesothelioma patients have a poorer prognosis if they are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, inability to perform daily tasks, weight loss, a low red blood cell count, a high white blood cell count, and high blood levels of a substance called LDH (lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme). These symptoms are often signs of cancer that has developed into the later stages.

Pleural mesothelioma patients who experience these symptoms usually receive a prognosis ranging between six and 12 months. However, many have overcome such a poor prognosis and have prolonged their life in a multitude of ways. Patients without these symptoms have a much better chance of fighting the cancer and improving their prognosis to more than one year.

If you would like to understand more about prognostic factors, please feel free to call 1-800-ASBESTOS to speak with a Patient Advocate who can further explain them and mail you additional information on this topic.

Surgical Options that May Improve Prognosis

Some pleural mesothelioma patients in Stage I have had their tumor successfully removed through a surgical procedure called extrapleural pneumonectomy. An extrapleural pneumonectomy is a surgery only offered to patients in otherwise good health. During the surgery, the entire affected lung and the pleural lining of the chest wall, diaphragm and pericardium on the affected side are removed. Surgeons then reconstruct the diaphragm and the pericardium. This procedure works best for patients with epithelioid cell pleural mesothelioma.

For patients who have been diagnosed during a later stage, a procedure called pleurectomy/decortication may be performed in an attempt to increase a person’s life expectancy. This particular form of treatment is palliative rather than curative and is designed to control fluid buildup. In addition, this procedure may also relieve pain and any added pressure on the lungs the patient may be feeling.

Mesothelioma Survival Rate

The percentage of cancer patients who live five years or more after their diagnosis is called the five-year survival rate. In 2006, the five-year survival rate for mesothelioma was estimated at 10 percent. The American Cancer Society reminds people that this rate is slowly improving and that it is based on people who were diagnosed and treated more than five years ago. Patients who are newly diagnosed may have a higher survival rate because treatment for pleural mesothelioma is continuing to improve