Mesothelioma Prognosis Facts

Unfortunately, people suffering from mesothelioma (a form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure) have a poorer prognosis. There is currently no cure for mesothelioma, and once the disease is discovered, patients usually have only a short time to live. Without treatment, mesothelioma is fatal within four to eight months. New forms of treatment are always being developed and tested, however, and there is evidence that the healthier a patient is at the time of diagnosis, the greater the life expectancy of the patient.

There are cases where patients receiving treatment has lived as long as five or even ten years, but this is rare. Even under treatment, most people survive on less than a year, often only months after receiving his diagnosis of mesothelioma. According to recent studies, about 10% of victims are at least three years after his diagnosis, and 5% of up to five years.

One reason why the prognosis is so bad is that there is such a long period of time between a person's exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms of mesothelioma. It may take several decades before signs of mesothelioma begin appearing at a person. One study showed that mesothelioma is when detected and treated in its early stages, 50% of patients survived two years, and 20% achieved five years, but unfortunately it is very difficult to detect the disease at the outset. The fact that mesothelioma symptoms are so easily confused with other diseases mesothelioma delay a correct diagnosis in many cases.