Several factors play into determining the life expectancy of someone diagnosed with mesothelioma, including what type they have, during which stage the diagnosis was made, and their prior health history.
Approximately half of individuals who develop mesothelioma are told that they have at least 12 months to live. If you have received a grim prognosis after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, don’t give up hope.
You can take steps to increase your expectancy and improve your overall quality of life. One of these steps is to seek out the assistance of a great specialist with extensive experience. Treatment options for mesothelioma are constantly improving; when you and your specialist take advantage of state of the at treatments, you can see vast improvements in your life. While there is not currently a cure for mesothelioma, you can extend and enjoy the time you have with your loved ones.
Life expectancy prognoses can vary based on at which stage your mesothelioma is diagnosed. For example, the life expectancy of a patient whose cancer is detected in Stage One is optimistic— without treatments, the average is 38 months.
Conversely, if mesothelioma is detected in Stage Two, a patient in their 60s may find themselves facing a life expectancy of 19 months. The exact prognosis you’re given after being diagnosed with mesothelioma will depend on a variety of factors, including how experienced the doctor currently in charge of your health is.
The factors that have to be taken into account include:
As mentioned, various treatments and lifestyle changes can help extend your life expectancy. The first step you need to take is find a specialist whom your general practitioner and insurance approves. This specialist will help you and your loved ones understand mesothelioma, how it can affect you, and what can be done to prolong and improve your quality of life.
Your specialist will walk you through a variety of treatments that can assist, but they may also suggest lifestyle changes such as dietary and exercise recommendations. While not every treatment works for every patient, most patients will agree that a longer and more comfortable life is worth the effort of trying.
During this time, you should also heavily consider seeking compensation for asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma attorneys across the nation can help you track down the source of your asbestos exposure and can then help you file lawsuits or file claims against asbestos trust funds. This compensation can help you cover any out-of-pocket medical expenses or assist with living expenses during your treatment and much more. If you would like to speak with a top-rated mesothelioma attorney, please complete the free consultation form on our webpage.
Before you undergo a prognosis, go prepared to ask the right questions. Learn about treatment options, survival rates and more.
Not every mesothelioma prognosis is the same. Learn about survival rates here.
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Of all the factors that are taken into consideration when estimating a life expectancy, the current stage of your cancer is often the most influential.
“Stages” are how doctors break down the advancement timeline of cancers and other serious illnesses. The higher the stage, the more progressed the cancer— thus, the lower the life expectancy.
The form a patient’s mesothelioma takes also affects life expectancy. The types of mesothelioma are:
Cell types that make up a mesothelioma tumor will react differently to treatment. Mesothelioma Cell Types include:
Epithelial
Sarcomatoid
Biphasic
The types of cell’s that carry the mesothelioma often vary and they play a huge role in helping your oncologist determine your life expectancy. If you have epithelioid cell types it’s likely your prognosis will be longer than if you have sarcomatoid cell types which spread faster.
Individuals who have biphasic cell type have cells that manage to combine both epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells. While it’s difficult to determine which cells the individual will most strongly resemble, oncologists generally give patients with early stage biphasic pleural mesothelioma a life expectancy that’s in the between the two cell types, about 21 months. As long as the cancer is detected in its early stages, there are multiple treatment options that have successfully extended the lives of patients with mesothelioma.
It’s very unusual for pleural mesothelioma to be diagnosed while it’s still in stage 1 or 2. The late diagnosis makes treatment difficult but there have been patients who were diagnosed with the cancer in its later stages and still managed to have a successful curative surgery that drastically extended their lives.
At the time of their diagnosis, most patients with stage pleural mesothelioma that’s in it’s late stages are given a life expectancy of about 11 months or less. If the patient is past their 65th birthday, the average life expectancy drops to 6 months.
Patients with late stage patients with epithelioid pleural mesothelioma but who are otherwise healthy often experience a positive reaction to treatments, including palliative surgery. Often surprising their doctors by living a great deal longer than originally anticipated.
Right now, oncologists haven’t found a good system for determining the stages of peritoneal mesothelioma. Since it’s not possible to stage this type cancer, oncologists rely on whether or not the cancer has gone metastic to determine the patient’s life expectancy. If the tumors are localized, the oncologist considers the patient to be in the early stages. Nearly all patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma are given a life expectancy of 12 months.
Getting told that they are only expected to live for 12 months can be quite a blow, but the patient needs to remember that not all hope is lost. Depending on age, overall health, and the type of treatment they choose, it’s possible for the patient to enjoy a long life despite the peritoneal mesothelioma.
Leading expert in the field of peritoneal mesothelioma, developed a treatment called cytoreductive surgery which has changed the lives of patients suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma. After the surgery, which is often combined with chemotherapy or radiation treatment, many patients enjoy a life expectancy of 5 years or longer, especially if they have an epithelioid cell type.
Some studies that have been conducted on patients who underwent Dr. Sugarbaker’s cytoreductive surgery indicated that a large number of patients extended their lives by 79 months
To learn more about mesothelioma specialists and their treatments check out our interactive Mesothelioma Doctor Map. We’ve developed a free Doctor Match program that’s designed to help you located a doctor that will provide you with the best mesothelioma treatment.
A mesothelioma diagnosis can be devastating, but you don’t have to deal with it alone. Many groups and organizations offer different types of support for patients with mesothelioma and their families.
