Mesothelioma Prognosis

How to Improve Your Mesothelioma Prognosis

Understanding what encompasses a mesothelioma prognosis can help patients make healthcare decisions that improve their life expectancy. Here are three steps on how to improve your prognosis:

• 1
  Consider your treatment options. Mesothelioma research has come a long way in the past decade, creating more therapies than ever before. Surgery is the most aggressive option, sometimes improving patients’ prognosis by years. If you’re not eligible for surgery, you can still receive chemotherapy, radiation, tumor treating fields and immunotherapy.
• 2
  Improve your personal health. A healthy immune system is able to manage treatments like chemotherapy and fight off diseases that could complicate recovery. The healthier a patient is when cancer strikes, the better the body will be able to defend itself. However, it’s never too late to begin healthy habits. Patients can actively improve and maintain their personal health through diet and exercise.
• 3
  Get a second opinion, which is extremely important after receiving a diagnosis. Getting a second opinion can often mean gaining access to treatments that weren’t previously available. Some doctors may not offer certain treatments if they think the risks outweigh the benefits. However, some patients have received treatments that saved their life thanks to a second opinion.

Take Action to Improve Your Prognosis

Patients with mesothelioma have a limited amount of time to take meaningful action against their diagnosis. Since mesothelioma can spread quickly, patients should learn what treatment options are available to them. Only a mesothelioma specialist can provide patients with most beneficial treatment. Specialists are also an essential tool for those who haven’t had a second opinion. Get connected with a specialist using our free Doctor Match program and take control of your prognosis.

Factors Influencing Your Prognosis

Receiving a prognosis for mesothelioma is a difficult experience. Nobody is ready to hear how long they have left to live. However, a prognosis is just the first step and can change with available treatment options. A prognosis is determined by a series of factors described below. A prognosis is an educated guess, not a fact.

There are certain factors that are not under a patient’s control. These factors include:

• Type (pleural, peritoneal, pericardial)
• Symptoms
• Histology (cell types)
• Latency period
• Metastasis (spread)
• Age
• Additional illnesses

Survival Rate

The survival rate for mesothelioma has improved over the past decade as new treatment options have been refined. A survival rate is simply a percentage indicating how many patients survive over a certain amount of time.

Mesothelioma Survival Rates by Year

Survival statistics for more aggressive diseases and cancers are most commonly organized by five-year survival rates — the percentage of patients who survive five years or more. However, survival rates are also measured one, two and three year(s) after patients are diagnosed. Doctors use these statistics to compare the effectiveness of treatments over time.

Patient Survival Rate by Age

Early detection is the holy grail of the mesothelioma treatment community. One of the most difficult aspects of treating mesothelioma is that it is often diagnosed in later stages. Forty percent of patients that are diagnosed before the age of 45 live five years or longer. This is more than four times the average five-year diagnosis for mesothelioma.

Common Questions About Mesothelioma Prognosis

How long do people usually live with mesothelioma?

People with mesothelioma usually live a few months to multiple years. While the average prognosis for all types of mesothelioma is 1-2 years, the type of mesothelioma and treatment a person has are significant factors.

What is the average prognosis for pleural mesothelioma?

The average prognosis for pleural mesothelioma is 8-19 months. This cancer forms near the lungs and can easily spread to this organ, along with lymph nodes. These factors affect the average prognosis, but early detection can lead to long-term survival.

What is the average prognosis for peritoneal mesothelioma?

The average prognosis for peritoneal mesothelioma is around two years. Treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma often lengthens the prognosis to 3-5 years. This cancer usually spreads within the abdomen and doesn’t reach lymph nodes. It’s usually easier to treat with surgery.

What are the main factors that can affect your prognosis?

The type and stage of the disease will significantly impact your mesothelioma prognosis. The earlier the stage, the better the expected survival time. Therefore, early detection is vital to your prognosis. Peritoneal mesothelioma also has a better prognosis than pleural mesothelioma. Other factors affecting prognosis are:

• Age
• Gender
• Overall health
• Treatment

How can you improve your mesothelioma prognosis?

Early detection and high-quality medical care are the best ways to improve your prognosis. The earlier you learn you have mesothelioma, the better your prognosis is due to the limited spread of tumors. Receiving care from a specialist can also boost your prognosis due to their experience and access to treatment innovations.