Mesothelioma Survival Rates 2019: Patient Age, Treatment and Statistics

Mesothelioma Survival Rates 2019: Patient Age, Treatment and Statistics.

Mesothelioma Survival Rates – Survival rate, prognosis, and life expectancy are related terms that can often be confused for one another, since each relates to the same general idea: how long can patients expect to live once diagnosed with mesothelioma or another condition. But when looking at the numbers, confusing these terms can make it difficult for patients to understand their own expected survival or see beyond the data.

Survival rate indicates the portion of people with the same type of cancer, for instance pleural mesothelioma, who survived a certain amount of time after diagnosis. Essentially, survival rate is a statistic that can provide a bigger picture of what a patient may expect in terms of length of overall survival and if their treatment may be successfull

Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Mesothelioma Survival Rate

According to research, approximately 55% of mesothelioma patients live longer than six months, while roughly 35% live longer than one year. Only 9% survive longer than five years. Testicular and peritoneal patients typically see the best survival rates, followed by pleural and pericardial mesothelioma.

Cancer survival rates are typically measured with 5-year statistics, but mesothelioma statistics often reference 1-year and 3-year statistics due to a poor prognosis. Survival rates can help patients better understand their prognosis and also help specialists identify potential risk factors driving patient life expectancy. Survival time varies for mesothelioma patients based on type, age, treatment and other factors.

In recent years, mesothelioma survival rates have improved, particularly for pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. New diagnostic methods to detect the disease early, as well as new treatments, are helping cancer patients live longer. However, there are many factors that can influence survival rates that must be taken into account, such as age, gender, type and other patient characteristics.

Age and Gender

Mesothelioma survival rates largely depend on the patient’s age and gender. On average, younger patients have a higher 5-year survival rate than older patients, and women have better overall survival rates than men. Mesothelioma specialists and researchers believe this is due to the overall better health of younger individuals, whereas older patients tend to have other diseases and conditions that could complicate their health and ability to withstand treatment. In relation to gender, more men held asbestos occupations at the height of its use, resulting in higher amounts of long-term exposure.

5-Year Mesothelioma Survival Rate by Age and Sex
Age at DiagnosisMaleFemale
Ages <4534.8%54.1%
Ages 45 – 5417.3%27.5%
Ages 55 – 6410.4%17.6%
Ages 65 – 746.6%13%
Ages 75+2.9%5.2%

Staging

The stage of mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis is also an influential factor to survival rates. Early detection is the best way to improve a patient’s mesothelioma prognosis, and early-stage diagnoses have substantially higher survival rates than late-stage diagnoses. When diagnosed at stage 3 or stage 4, the cancer has likely spread to distant areas of the body and is therefore more difficult to target and treat. If diagnosed at stage 1 or 2, the disease is likely localized and can be targeted with surgical resection and other aggressive treatments.

Other Factors

In addition to age, gender and staging, there are a variety of other factors that impact survival rates, including:

  • Location: Testicular mesothelioma survival rates are the most favorable, followed by peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma has the least favorable survival rates.
  • Cell Type: Epithelioid mesothelioma generally has the highest survival rates, followed by biphasic mesothelioma and sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
  • Genetics: The presence of biomarker BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1) has shown lower survival rates.
  • Lifestyle Factors: Patients with a history of smoking have lower survival rates than non-smokers.
  • Blood Counts: High levels of hemoglobin, platelets or white blood cells have been shown to negatively impact mesothelioma survival rates.
  • Overall Health: Poor health factors like being overweight or having a compromised immune system often result in lower survival rates.

Ultimately, patients should discuss their individual diagnosis with their physician, along with impacting factors, to better understand where they fall in terms of survival.

Mesothelioma Survival Statistics

Mesothelioma Survival Statistics

Survival rate references a number of people that survived for a certain amount of time after their diagnosis. Survival rate is different from life expectancy in that life expectancy refers to the average length of time patients with mesothelioma live. Life expectancy is usually referenced in years or months and depends on a variety of factors like staging, mesothelioma location, cell type and patient characteristics. Together, both of these statistics can provide information about an individual’s prognosis.

Mortality rate is another term frequently used alongside survival rate. Mortality rate is a statistic used by health organizations and governmental agencies to understand the prevalence of a disease in a particular population, such as a certain age group or sex.

This can help determine potential risk factors for the development, progression and life expectancies for malignant mesothelioma.

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