Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Approximately 55 percent of mesothelioma patients live longer than 6 months, while roughly 35 percent live longer than one year. Only 9 percent of people diagnosed with mesothelioma survive longer than 5 years.

What Is Survival Rate?

Median survival rate refers to the percentage of people who live a certain amount of time after receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis. The 5-year survival rate is a standard statistic used for many types of cancer. However, because mesothelioma cancer is so deadly, many people also refer to 1-year survival rates, as well.

Survival rate should not be confused with life expectancy, which refers to the average length of time patients with mesothelioma live. Together, both of these statistics can provide information about an individual’s prognosis.

Survival rate also should not be confused with mesothelioma mortality rate. Mortality rate is a statistic used by health organizations and governmental agencies to understand the prevalence of a disease in a given area (such as a country, state or city).

Survival Rates for Mesothelioma

The latest data shows better survival rates than ever. Specifically, a 2015 meta-study looked at 20 years worth of results from 1992 – 2012, and during that period the two major forms of mesothelioma (pleural and peritoneal) have both seen an improvement in survivorship.

According to the study, survival for peritoneal mesothelioma patients has shown significant improvement, largely due to new forms of treatment, such as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

Mesothelioma Survival Rate by Type Life Expectancy by Mesothelioma Cell Type
Pleural Peritoneal Pericardial
1 year 73% 92% 51%
3 years 23% 74% 26%
5 years 12% 65% 23%
10 years 4.7% 39% (N/A)

While the numbers above encompass all people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the survival rate can change significantly based on various factors. The two most substantial of these are age and gender:

Age – Older patients have a lower 5-year survival rate than younger patients
Gender –Women with mesothelioma have a higher 5-year survival rate than men
5-Year Mesothelioma Survival Rate by Age and Sex Life Expectancy by Age and Sex
Age at Diagnosis Male Female
Ages <45 34.8% 54.1%
Ages 45 - 54 17.3% 27.5%
Ages 55 - 64 10.4% 17.6%
Ages 65 - 74 6.6% 13%
Ages 75+ 2.9% 5.2%
Other factors that affect mesothelioma survival rates include:

Location – pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, or pericardial mesothelioma
Cell Type – epithelioid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma, or biphasic mesothelioma
Stage of Disease – early stage or later stage
Genetics – such as BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1)
Lifestyle Factors – such as smoking
Blood Counts – such as high levels of hemoglobin, platelets, or white blood cells
Overall Health – such as being overweight or having a compromised immune system

Improving Mesothelioma Survival

It is important to remember that a survival rate is a percentage based on many cases – it is not meant to indicate how long any certain individual will live. In many cases, you may be able to improve your chances at long-term survival after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

For those with early stage mesothelioma (stage 1 or stage 2), undergoing aggressive treatment to remove tumors and organs containing cancer cells can lead to higher survival rates. Those who receive a later stage diagnosis (stage 3 or stage 4) may not have the same surgical options available – since the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes – but could still benefit from chemotherapy or radiation therapy treatments, which can extend their survivorship.

Mesothelioma Survival Rate by Treatment Type Mesothelioma Survival Rate by Treatment Type
Pleural Mesothelioma
Chemotherapy Only 2 years 19%
5 years 4%
Pleurectomy / Decortication (P/D) 2 years 40%
5 years 10%
Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP) 2 years 37%
5 years 12%
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
CRS-207 + Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) 5 years 50%
For pleural mesothelioma, patients who undergo a pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) or extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) – both of which are usually part of a multimodal treatment plan – generally have a much higher rate of survival than those who receive chemotherapy alone.

For peritoneal mesothelioma, patients who undergo cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with HIPEC have significantly higher rates of survival. When combined with systemic chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment, the 5-year survival rate of patients who undergo CRS + HIPEC can be as high as 67%.

FAQs About Mesothelioma Survival Rates

Is mesothelioma fatal?

Mesothelioma is almost always fatal, and as the survival rate statistics above show, about 90% of people diagnosed with the disease pass away within five years.

Because of this terrible truth, it is important to protect yourself and your loved ones from asbestos exposure, especially if you live in an older home or work at a job site where asbestos may be present. Also, it is incredibly important to get any symptoms of mesothelioma checked out right away, since diagnosis at an early stage is the best way to improve your chances at survival.

How long can you live with mesothelioma?

Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma live between 6 and 24 months. A small number of individuals (less than 10%) will live 5 years or longer.

However, it is important to note that every individual will have a different mesothelioma prognosis depending on a variety of factors, including:

Tumor location (pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial)
Stage of cancer (stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, or stage 4)
Mesothelioma cell type (epithelioid cells, sarcomatoid cells, or biphasic cells)
Patient’s age and sex
Lifestyle factors
Overall health
Your mesothelioma specialist will be able to give you specific information about your case.

How much should I trust survival rate statistics?

Mesothelioma survival rates are determined by a standard measure known as the relative 5-year survival rate, which indicates how many patients are still alive 5 years after being diagnosed with the disease.

According to the most reliable studies, the relative 5-year survival rate for mesothelioma is about 9 percent, which is better than it was a decade or more ago. However, this simplified number does not tell the whole story. As shown above, survival rate can depend heavily on the type of mesothelioma a person has, what treatment options are available to them, and certain other health and lifestyle factors.

Many different clinical trials and other studies are being conducted by the National Cancer Institute on an ongoing basis to identify the factors that affect survival rate and, hopefully, discover ways to increase survival among mesothelioma patients. The results of these studies can be helpful for patients who meet certain criteria, but they may not be useful for determining an overall survival rate across the broad spectrum of mesothelioma patients.

Therefore, while survival rate can be a useful statistic in some cases, it can be misleading in others. Cancer patients and loved ones should always rely on the advice and guidance provided by their doctors to understand how they can improve their prognosis and life expectancy, rather than looking to a single statistic.

source : www.mesothelioma.com