The Maune Raichle Law Firm

Mesothelioma Prognosis

Mesothelioma has long been known as an aggressive cancer with a typically poor prognosis for those afflicted; at one time the average survival after diagnosis was less than a year. However, mesothelioma is a disease which has seen a great increase in awareness. Greater awareness has and continues to aid in early diagnosis of mesothelioma. The prognosis is much better for those who are diagnosed while still in the early stages of the cancer and before the tumors have much chance to spread. Up until recently, mesothelioma was often left undiagnosed until it had progressed to the third stage, which means the cancer had spread and was affecting other organs.

With a combination of surgical removal, chemotherapy and radiation, early stages of mesothelioma cancers can be treated. The prognosis for individuals diagnosed with stage one mesothelioma continues to improve. Currently, one treatment series boasts a 40% 5-year survival rate when stage one and stage 2 cancers are treated. The deceptive thing about the 40% survival rate, though, is that the majority of those diagnosed with mesothelioma are older and have already been diagnosed with other illnesses, often affecting the survival rate even though those illnesses are not directly related to the mesothelioma. Especially in the case of those who developed mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure, there may exist other serious illnesses, which complicate treatment and affect survival rates.

Those who are otherwise healthy and are diagnosed have better chance at a good prognosis than ever before. Awareness and research promise to help in more early detection and help improve current survival rates. However, mesothelioma is a highly individual disease; location, stage, specific spreading, and secondary conditions such as pleural effusions can complicate treatment and affect a patient's prognosis. Doctors continue to try new therapies and hope to find chemotherapy regimens which are more effective and less detrimental to patients.