The prognosis for mesothelioma is often poor, but treatment can extend survival and improve prognosis. On average, patients live 12 to 21 months after diagnosis, and approximately 14% survive five years or longer. Prognosis depends on the cancer stage, patient's health and treatment.
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The prognosis for mesothelioma, the likely course of the disease, is poor. Most mesothelioma patients live 1 to 2 years with treatment. Without it, they live 6 to 8 months. But some patients have defied the odds and lived more than 10 years. A mesothelioma prognosis is both individual and based on the outcomes of other patients.
Survival rate, life expectancy, and mortality statistics affect prognosis. But every mesothelioma survivor is unique. We researched cancer statistics from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. The latest SEER data from 2019 show the 5-year survival rate for all stages of mesothelioma is almost 14%. This is for patients of all demographics and types of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Prognosis Statistics
Survival Rates: The latest SEER report says the 5-year mesothelioma survival rates is 24% for early-stage cases and 9% for advanced stages.
Life Expectancy: Average life expectancy for mesothelioma patients is 22.2 months for stage 1 and 14.9 months for stage 4.
Choosing mesothelioma treatment can improve the prognosis. Ongoing cancer treatment can help keep mesothelioma under control. Some patients live more than a decade after therapy.
What Factors Affect a Mesothelioma Prognosis?
The key factors in a patient’s mesothelioma prognosis are the tumor’s origin, cell type, and stage at diagnosis. General health and other personal factors also affect the response to treatment.
The tumor location and size affect the treatments a patient qualifies for. The cancer stage impacts prognosis because treatment becomes less effective in later stages. Patients generally don’t have much control over most of these prognostic factors. You can’t control your age or tumor cell type. But you can improve your health and get cancer treatment to help your prognosis.
The origin of tumors defines the types of mesothelioma. It has a significant impact on the prognosis. Tumor location affects which cancer treatments can be safely done. It also impacts the risk of complications.
For example, doctors we interviewed tell us patients with abdominal mesothelioma respond better to aggressive treatment. But pleural patients risk heart complications with it.
Prognosis Associated With Different Types of Mesothelioma
Patients with testicular mesothelioma patients live around 2 years, but some live more than 10.
Cell types that make up tumors also affect prognosis. Some mesothelioma cells are more resistant to treatment. This worsens the prognosis. A 2020 Oncology Reports study found epithelial cells had a better prognosis.
Cancer Stage
Patients diagnosed in the early stages have the best prognosis. The journal Cancers published a study in 2020 on pleural mesothelioma patients at stages 1 and 2. The results of that study showed patients had a median overall survival of 32.1 months.
Staging Impact on Mesothelioma Prognosis
Stage 1 patients who undergo surgery live about 22.2 months.
Aggressive treatment helps stage 2 patients live around 20 months.
Stage 3 patients live an average of 17.9 months with surgery.
Stage 4 mesothelioma patients live about 14.9 months with multimodal therapy.
Dr. David Sugarbaker was a pioneer in mesothelioma treatment. In an interview with The Mesothelioma Center, he said, “The major or No. 1 factor that influences a patient’s prognosis is the amount of tumor that is visible at the time of diagnosis.”
Younger people are typically more eligible for more aggressive treatment options. Women with mesothelioma tend to live longer than men, and 18.6% of Black patients lived 5 years vs. 9.4% of white patients.
Patients who maintain a healthy diet and nutrition may also strengthen their immune system. A strong immune system can improve prognosis and overall health to fight mesothelioma and infections.
Dr. W. Charles Conway is director of surgical oncology at the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara. We asked him how patients can improve their overall health. He said, “Other than medical treatments, any cancer patient can improve how they do long-term by maintaining their fitness.” Conway added, “That includes nutritional fitness and also their physical fitness. The longer active patients can stay, the better they do long-term. This is especially true if they maintain their nutrition.”
Treatment Type
Choosing mesothelioma treatment is the best way to improve a patient’s prognosis. Long-term survivors often undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Some of these survivors also use treatments like immunotherapy and Tumor Treating Fields.
Surgery allows some patients to live for years, but only about 20% of patients qualify for it. About half of the patients who undergo chemotherapy see tumor shrinkage. The addition of targeted therapy or Tumor Treating Fields may improve lifespan from 12 to 18 months.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer, and the treatments for it can be tough. So aggressive treatment is warranted for mesothelioma patients. It can extend their lives and improve their quality of life.
Mesothelioma treatment can partly remit the cancer. This means a 50% reduction in tumor size. Full remission is having no signs or symptoms of active cancer, and it is rare with mesothelioma. Partial remission is more common. Patients may live for years in partial remission.
Improving Your Mesothelioma Prognosis
You can choose to be proactive and take steps to improve your mesothelioma prognosis. Although you can’t change your age or cancer stage, you can choose to seek treatment and make healthy lifestyle choices.
How to Improve Your Mesothelioma Prognosis
Find a Mesothelioma Specialist: A specialist knows the best treatments for your diagnosis. Working with one offers the best chance of improving your prognosis.
Make Healthier Lifestyle Choices: Gentle exercise and a balanced diet can help. They can reduce side effects and improve mesothelioma symptoms. Guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation may help patients cope with their diagnosis.
Seek a Clinical Trial: Clinical trials can improve prognosis through experimental drugs. Some patients respond better to medicines that are still under investigation.
Dr. Andrea Wolf is director of the New York Mesothelioma Program at Mount Sinai in New York City. In our interview with her, she said a survivor’s emotional health may improve their prognosis. “While it’s a difficult and challenging disease, the prognosis is variable,” Wolf said. “And people need to stay positive in order to become those patients who live long-term because we have those who do.”
Susan Dickman
Verified Asbestos.com Survivor
Surgery Improves Mesothelioma Survivor’s Prognosis
When asked what Susan would share with others on their mesothelioma journey she said, “I can’t tell anybody what to do. I would take it from my own perspective.” Today, after more than a decade from her intensive surgery and at 84 years old, Susan says overall she’s been enjoying good health. She also says she doesn’t have any lingering effects from the procedure and hasn’t had a recurrence of cancer. “Life is good,” she says.
Survivors Who Surpassed Their Malignant Mesothelioma Prognosis
Although recurrence is common, people diagnosed with mesothelioma are overcoming their initial prognoses. Some survivors have lived a decade or more beyond their life expectancies. Mesothelioma survivors share how they improved their prognosis. They credit their medical teams, family support, treatments and other factors.
Mesothelioma survivors share stories of how they improved their prognosis through their medical teams, family support, treatment procedures and other factors.
Chris Gibney
Pleural mesothelioma survivor
Diagnosed in 2005, Chris Gibney told us he far surpassed his pleural mesothelioma diagnosis. In March 2017, he and his wife welcomed a group of exchange students from Germany to their home. Gibney credits his medical team and a support group. They helped him survive over a decade past his prognosis. “I have a lot to live for,” Gibney said. “I’ve been very, very lucky. And I kind of think, the more you have to live for, the more you will live.”
Beth Mixon
Peritoneal mesothelioma survivor
In 2000, doctors diagnosed Beth Mixon with peritoneal mesothelioma. At the time, most patients lived less than two years after treatment. Despite a grim prognosis, Mixon told us she is still going strong. It’s been over 20 years since an aggressive surgery to reduce his cancer. “Me searching the Bible for answers was huge,” Mixon said. “I think a lot of my initial recovery after surgery was based on what I was reading. If you know you’ll get well, you will get well. The mind is a powerful thing.”
Kasie Coleman
Peritoneal mesothelioma survivor
Doctors diagnosed Kasie Coleman with peritoneal mesothelioma in 2010. Kasie told us she underwent several cycles of chemotherapy and HIPEC treatments. Her cancer went into remission in 2012. “Before you begin to fight, you must first arm yourself with the right tools. Get your mind right,” Coleman said. It’s extremely hard to develop a positive attitude when possibly facing death, but it’s possible. I decided that although the statistics were horrible, I was going to be the exception.
Mesothelioma progresses at different rates among patients. It depends on factors like the tumor cell type and grade. Many patients are diagnosed at stage 3. Tumors may progress to stage 4 in weeks or months without treatment.
Is mesothelioma always terminal?
While mesothelioma is considered terminal, it’s not always fatal. Patients have outlived their prognosis by more than a decade.
How long can you live with mesothelioma?
Most people with mesothelioma live for 4 to 18 months. Some have lived over 10 years with this cancer.
Is there a cure for mesothelioma?
There is no cure for mesothelioma. But doctors can treat it. Their goal is to control tumor growth and cancer symptoms.
How can a mesothelioma specialist improve my prognosis?
Mesothelioma specialists have spent years learning about mesothelioma treatment. They know how to treat this cancer better than general oncologists. Working with a specialist is the best way to improve your prognosis.
Recommended Reading
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Dr. Jacques Fontaine is a thoracic surgeon at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, where he heads up the Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center. He specializes in minimally invasive robotic surgery and aggressive surgeries for mesothelioma.
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