Mesothelioma Prognosis

What is the prognosis for mesothelioma?

The prognosis for most mesothelioma patients is generally poor because there is no treatment for this disease.

Prognosis is often measured in terms such as "good," "favorable," "bad" or "poor" depending on how the cancer should progress. It includes the prospect of recovery and helps determine what treatment options may be available.

When patients question their prognosis, what they usually want to know is how long they will live.

How long do you live after being diagnosed with mesothelioma?

Most patients live about a year after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

How long you live with mesothelioma depends on where you are diagnosed and how you respond to mesothelioma treatments.

Early prognosis

People diagnosed early, stage 1 or stage 2 are often eligible for surgery, which offers the best chance of long-term survival. About 20 percent of patients with pleural mesothelioma are diagnosed early enough to be eligible for surgery. Stage 1 patients undergoing surgery have a median life expectancy of 22.2 months.

Prediction at the end of the phase

Most patients are diagnosed late, stage 3 or 4, and are not eligible for surgery. Stage 4 patients undergoing treatment have a median life expectancy of 14.9 months.

Although statistics play a role in determining your prognosis, each case of mesothelioma is unique.

Some patients with mesothelioma are beating the typical outlook thanks to advances in treatment and care. Survivors credit increased life expectancy for multimodal treatment, improved diet and complementary therapies.

Improving a prognosis of mesothelioma

You can choose to be proactive and take steps to improve your prognosis. You cannot change important prognostic factors such as your age, the type of mesothelioma or the stage of cancer. But, you can improve your overall health and choose a cancer treatment like chemotherapy.

In addition to undergoing treatments that control cancer, you should follow a healthy nutrition plan with a balanced diet. Good nutrition can also relieve treatment side effects and cancer symptoms.

Eating well and balancing your diet while undergoing mesothelioma treatment can help relieve your symptoms.

Treatment options for mesothelioma

Surgery and chemotherapy the most effective treatments for mesothelioma . Radiation therapy and immunotherapy play a role in multimodal therapy and clinical trials.

Most patients are diagnosed too late to qualify for surgery and undergo only chemotherapy. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy are available for patients at all stages.

Although, Cancer therapies are costly, but many patients are eligible for financial compensation to cover the costs of mesothelioma treatment.

Veterans may be eligible for free or low-cost treatment at a VA hospital. A mesothelioma lawyer can advise patients on other possible sources of compensation. 

Prognosis of mesothelioma after chemotherapy

 The response rate to chemotherapy is nearly 50 per cent. This means that about half of mesothelioma patients experience tumor shrinkage or no new tumor growth for a period of time. A 2016 study published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology found that patients receiving chemotherapy lived an average of 12 months, while those who did not choose treatment lived an average of four months.

Prognosis of mesothelioma after surgery

People diagnosed with Stage 1, 2 or 3 may be eligible for aggressive surgery. Tumor removal surgery offers the greatest chance of long-term survival. Surgery may involve the removal of an entire lung, part of the lung or only the removal of the lining of the lung, known as pleura. Many people wonder if a person can live with a lung, and the answer is yes. Surgery is regularly combined with chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy or immunotherapy. It can prolong survival by years in some patients.

Prognosis of mesothelioma after radiation therapy

Radiation therapy alone is used to reduce painful tumors increasingly in the chest wall. This application has no direct impact on prognosis.

Experimental therapies

Experimental therapies, such as immunotherapy and photodynamic therapy, are offered through clinical trials and humanitarian use programs. 

Peritoneol treatment of mesothelioma

With a combination of hyperthermic intraperitoneal surgery and chemotherapy (HIPEC)Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma can improve their prognosis. 

This includes adding chemotherapy drugs to a heated saline solution and pumping it directly into the patient's abdomen. Research shows that about half of the patients who underwent this procedure survived more than five years.

Prognosis by Mesothelioma Type

Prognosis of pleural mesothelioma

Research shows that about 40 percent of patients survive at least one year after diagnosis. Some patients who undergo multimodal treatment and complementary therapies survive several years . About 9 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients survive more than five years.

Prognosis of peritoneal mesothelioma

Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma have a much better prognosis. New treatments for abdominal cancer, such as heated chemotherapy, have improved the chances of long-term survival.

About 50 per cent of patients who undergo surgery with heated chemotherapy live more than five years.

Pericardial prognosis of mesothelioma

The prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma is generally poor. About half of the patients survive six months. Rare cases of five-year survival have been reported and usually involve treatment including surgery and chemotherapy.

Prognosis of testicular mesothelioma

Prognosis of testicular mesothelioma is  typically the best as it is rarest type of mesothelioma.The average survival is about two years and some patients live more than a decade.

Prognosis by Mesothelioma Stage

Prognosis of mesothelioma in stage 1

Patients diagnosed with stage 1 have the best prognosis. Aggressive treatments are recommended for healthy people.

Survival rates for stages 1A and 1B

• Stage 1A: The two-year survival rate is 46 per cent and the five-year survival rate is 16 per cent.
• Stage 1B: The two-year survival rate is 41 per cent and the five-year survival rate is 13 per cent.
• With surgery, median overall survival at stage 1 is 22.2 months.

Prognosis of mesothelioma in stage 2

Patients diagnosed with stage 2 have a better prognosis than patients at an advanced stage. At this stage, Aggressive treatment plans are recommended.

• The two-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is 38 per cent and the five-year survival rate is 10 per cent.
• Median overall survival in stage 2 is 20 months with surgery.

Prognosis of mesothelioma in stage 3

The prognosis becomes worse for patients diagnosed with stage 3. Some Stage 3 patients are eligible for aggressive treatment plans.

Survival rates for stages 3A and 3B

• Stage 3A: The two-year survival rate is 30 per cent and the five-year survival rate is 8 per cent.
• Stage 3B: The two-year survival rate is 26 per cent and the five-year survival rate is 5 per cent.
• With surgery median overall survival at stage 3 is 17.9 months .

Prognosis of mesothelioma in stage 4

The prognosis at stage 4 is generally poor. Palliative treatments are recommended at this stage to control symptoms and prolong survival for as long as possible.

For pleural mesothelioma,

• the two-year survival rate is 17 percent while, the five-year survival rate is less than 1 percent.
• With treatment, median overall survival at stage 4 is 14.9 months.

Other factors affecting the prognosis of mesothelioma

Cell type

The types of cells that make up the tumor can have an impact on your prognosis.

Epithelioid cells: Patients with this type of cell tend to live longer than those with other cell types. People with epithelioid tumours live an average of 200 more days.

Sarcomatoid cells: These cells are associated with the poorest prognosis because they are considered more aggressive and difficult to treat.

Biphasic cells: The prognosis for this type depends on the ratio of sarcomatoid cells to epithelial cells. The more epithelial cells there are, the better the prognosis.

Age

Young people have a better prognosis with mesothelioma than the elderly. More than half of patients diagnosed under the age of 50 live at least one year with mesothelioma. Less than a third of patients diagnosed over 75 years of age live as long.

Sex

The genus has a significant impact on the prognosis of mesothelioma. Women with mesothelioma live longer than men.

Researchers do not fully understand why women live longer. They suspect that hormones may play a role. They know that women are more often diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal has a better prognosis than pleural mesothelioma.

Race

Race plays a role in the prognosis of mesothelioma. In 2013, the five-year survival rate was 8.7 percent for whites and 10 percent for blacks.

Black women tend to live the longest with mesothelioma. In 2013, the five-year survival rate was 13.6 per cent for white women and 30.1 per cent for black women.

Remission and recurrence of mesothelioma

The prognosis of cancer includes the chances of recovery, so-called remission. It involves a measurable decrease in tumor size, which can be described as partial or complete.

• When the cancer shrinks in size then, remission is partial . Partial remission usually involves at least a 50 percent reduction in tumor size.
• Remission is over when the cancer disappears completely.

Complete remission is rare with mesothelioma. Partial remission is more common. Patients can live for years in partial remission.

Unfortunately, mesothelioma tends to recur if partial or complete remission is achieved. When mesothelioma reproduces, it usually reproduces locally or regionally rather than remotely.

Clinical trials

Many clinical trials are looking for patients with mesothelioma recurrence to test new and innovative therapies. They test second-line therapies to control cancer when it recurs.

The goal of these trials is to find more ways to keep mesothelioma in control once it returns. Researchers need a wide range of participants. Patients who have undergone previous treatment who are now living with advanced disease are ideal candidates for clinical trials.

Understand the prognostic terms

Life expectancy

The term "life expectancy" refers to the average age of a person or population that should live according to their location and other demographics. Mesothelioma can reduce a person's life expectancy by years or decades. It all depends on their age at the time of diagnosis and the length of their life with mesothelioma.

For example, a 70-year-old healthy man has a life expectancy of 14 years but when, he is diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma,the life expectancy of the same old man will reduce to two years.

Survival rate

Survival rates are the predictions that how long most people live with mesothelioma. Your prognosis is mainly based on average cancer survival rates.

The National Cancer Institute reports that the five-year survival rate for mesothelioma was 9 percent between 2007 and 2013.

Mortality rate

The cancer mortality rate, also known as the mortality rate, describes the number of people dying from cancer. It plays a role when doctors estimate a patient's prognosis.

Mesothelioma mortality rates are often defined by age, gender, race and state of residence.

Survivors who have exceeded their prognosis

Although recurrence is common, people diagnosed with mesothelioma overcome their initial prognosis.

Whether it's because of their particular type of mesothelioma, specialized treatments, genetics or simply changing their lives through better nutrition and exercise, it's important to keep hope alive.

Some survivors live years or even a decade or more after their initial prognosis.