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Mesothelioma Remission: Am I Cured?

The goal of treating mesothelioma is achieving long-term remission. Despite being disease-free for an extended period of time, many specialists are reluctant to consider patients with mesothelioma “cured.” This page delves into what remission from mesothelioma means, the factors contributing to remission, and when, if ever, patients are considered cured.

Medically reviewed for accuracy by

Dr. Stephen Williams

Precision Oncology Scientist

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Important Facts About Mesothelioma Remission

Remission in mesothelioma means the signs of cancer – such as the presence of tumors and symptoms – are no longer detectable. Partial remission is a term used when tumors have decreased in size or present cancer cells are no longer growing or spreading.
Achieving remission is the ultimate goal for people diagnosed with mesothelioma, but it does not mean the disease is cured or will never return.
Patients who reach long-term remission (e.g., 5 or more years) are in a special group: mesothelioma survivors. Even with extended remission, ongoing monitoring is extremely important for these patients given the possibility of recurrence or relapse.
For doctors and patients, remission from mesothelioma is a meaningful milestone. This provides an opportunity for improved quality of life and a hope for the future. Remission does not guarantee freedom from the disease. For that reason, continued follow-up care, imaging and a survivorship plan are essential.

Types of Mesothelioma Remission

The term “remission” refers to the reduction or absence of signs and symptoms of a disease. For mesothelioma and other forms of cancer, remission means the disease is under control or undetectable but not necessarily cured. Remission can be partial or complete:

Partial remission – This occurs when there is a significant reduction in the size and number of tumors (many doctors define it as at least 50% reduction in measurable tumor size), improvements in symptoms, and the cancer cells that are still detectable are no longer growing or spreading.
Complete remission – This means all signs and symptoms of mesothelioma have disappeared, and there is no evidence of disease detected on imaging scans, physical examinations, and other testing.

It is essential for patients in remission to stay diligent by attending regular follow-up appointments and continue to be closely monitored by their doctors due to the risk of recurrence or new tumor development. The duration of remission can vary greatly depending on the type and stage of mesothelioma, as well as the effectiveness of the treatment received.

Can Mesothelioma Be Cured?

Long-term remission is possible and some patients may ultimately live for as long as people who never develop mesothelioma. Regardless of this possibility, doctors are reluctant to use the word “cured” for anyone with this cancer. In clinical settings, patients who remain disease-free for 5 or more years are often designated as “survivors” rather than active cancer patients.

Here’s what that means:

In some rare cases, a doctor may declare a mesothelioma patient to be in “complete remission” or have “no evidence of disease,” meaning that imaging scans, blood tests, and physical exams show no signs of cancer.
Mesothelioma spreads microscopically within thin tissue linings of the lungs or abdomen. As cancer cells form and small tumors develop, they are typically not easily seen on imaging scans. This means mesothelioma may remain undetectable for extended periods of time.
Even after a successful surgery, any microscopic mesothelioma cells left behind can hide in small spaces within the body, sometimes for years.
Important factors that can affect long-term survival include early stage at diagnosis, favorable cell type, successful aggressive multimodal therapy (a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy), and good overall health.

Even for patients who achieve complete remission or extended disease-free intervals, close medical surveillance is essential due to the high incidence of mesothelioma recurrences. While difficult to achieve, there is still hope for long-term remission.

Stories of Mesothelioma Remission

The goal for all mesothelioma patients is to achieve long-term remission of their disease. Although mesothelioma typically has a short prognosis compared to other types of cancer, many patients have beat the odds and achieved disease-free remission. Read some of the stories of how mesothelioma survivors have reached the goal of remission in our mesothelioma survivors section.

Which Treatments Offer the Best Hope of Mesothelioma Remission?

Mesothelioma treatment has improved over the years, and patients who are able to achieve long-term remission credit a combination of therapies for their progress. Treatments range from standard options like surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation to newer therapies and new treatment combinations being tested in clinical trials.

Surgery for Mesothelioma Remission

Surgery can remove the largest amount of mesothelioma tumors or tissue in the quickest time. However, many patients are unable to have surgery due to either their overall physical health or their cancer being too advanced.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) and pleurectomy with decortication (P/D) are the two surgeries for pleural mesothelioma. For peritoneal mesothelioma, cytoreductive surgery combined with HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy) is the surgery of choice.

The overall median survival for mesothelioma is often in the range of 12-18 months for non-surgical cases and 20-36 months, or more, for patients who have a successful surgery.

Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma Remission

Chemotherapy remains a primary treatment option for mesothelioma. Over the past two decades, chemotherapy regimens have improved, and ongoing research continues to optimize drug combinations and timing. However, chemotherapy alone is unlikely to give patients a full remission or lead to 5 years of survival.

The FDA approved chemotherapy to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma when surgery is unavailable. The current standard chemotherapy treatment uses a combination of pemetrexed and a platinum-based drug (such as cisplatin or carboplatin). This pairing can shrink tumors, slow disease progression, and improve survival for many mesothelioma patients. Alternative or second-line agents may include gemcitabine, vinorelbine, or bevacizumab.

One important advancement in the treatment of mesothelioma is the addition of intraoperative chemotherapy. This process allows a liquid chemotherapy solution to be put directly into the abdominal cavity before the incision is completely closed. When intraoperative chemotherapy (HIPEC) was combined with cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma, it led to significantly improved survival and, in some cases, long-term remission. A similar process is used for pleural mesothelioma where a cancer-fighting solution is put into the chest cavity to kill microscopic cancer cells that may remain after visible tumors are removed.

Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Remission

Immunotherapy has become a critical treatment choice for mesothelioma, especially for patients who are not candidates for surgery. The FDA has approved immunotherapy for many cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) was approved by the FDA in combination with chemotherapy for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Immunotherapy, like chemotherapy, is unlikely to give patients a full remission or long-term survival as a stand alone treatment. In the CheckMate 743 clinical trial for mesothelioma, Opdivo and Yervoy provided a median overall survival (OS) of 18.1 months compared to 14.1 months with standard chemotherapy.

Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma Remission

Radiation therapy is a traditional treatment method used to fight many types of cancer. Unfortunately, on its own, radiation is unlikely to lead to mesothelioma remission. However, multimodal therapy that combines radiation therapy with surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy has shown significant strides toward reaching remission in mesothelioma patients.

Other Mesothelioma Treatments That Can Lead to Remission

Oncolytic virus therapy – Oncolytic virus therapy uses engineered viruses to infect and kill cancer cells. The viruses are programmed to ignore healthy cells, which prevents patients from getting sicker. This type of cancer treatment is in clinical trial testing for mesothelioma.

CAR T-cell therapy – CAR T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy called cell and gene therapy, engineers the patient’s immune system to find and attack cancer cells. An immune system cell called the T cell can be programmed to search for mesothelioma cells based on a specific protein they carry. CAR T-cell therapy is FDA-approved for types of blood cancer. It’s being tested in clinical trials for mesothelioma.

Gene therapy – Gene therapy adds, edits, or deletes genes in the patient’s body to either kill cancer cells or help the immune system detect and attack the disease. There are several types of gene therapy. This experimental treatment is in clinical testing for mesothelioma.

These novel therapies offer hope for longer remission and perhaps eventual cures when integrated into a multimodal strategy. CAR T-cell therapy has been so successful for blood cancers that some patients have been considered “cured” from their leukemia and lymphoma.

Mesothelioma survivor Kendra Ferreira attributes her remission to the treatment opportunities she received through participating in a clinical trial. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and are exploring your treatment options, a clinical trial may offer access to therapies that could improve outcomes or, in some cases, lead to remission.

Recurrence After Mesothelioma Remission

The recurrence of mesothelioma remains a significant concern. Despite successful treatments and extended periods of undetectable disease, mesothelioma may reappear due to microscopic cancer cells remaining hidden following treatment. These hidden cancer cells can remain dormant and later become active again.

Mesothelioma patients need to remain diligent about recognizing new or worsening symptoms and continue to attend follow-up appointments with their doctors. If a relapse occurs, this doesn’t mean all hope is gone. Patients who achieved remission have a good chance of doing it again with the help of experienced mesothelioma specialists.

Contact our team for help finding a mesothelioma specialist or cancer center to learn more about mesothelioma, treatment options, and remission. We are also available to help if you are experiencing a recurrence. Reach out to registered nurse Karen Ritter by email at karen@mesotheliomaguide.com. You can also contact her with this link to send a message directly to her or another patient advocate.

Sources & Author

Understanding Cancer Prognosis. National Cancer Institute. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/prognosis Accessed: 04/24/2023.
Can Cancer be Cured? American Cancer Society. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/can-cancer-be-cured.html Accessed: 04/24/2023.
What is Remission in Cancer? Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24673-cancer-remission Accessed: 04/24/2023.

About the Writer, Devin Golden

Devin Golden is the senior content writer for Mesothelioma Guide. He produces mesothelioma-related content on various mediums, including the Mesothelioma Guide website and social media channels. Devin's objective is to translate complex information regarding mesothelioma into informative, easily absorbable content to help patients and their loved ones.