After a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the question about mesothelioma life expectancy usually comes up. It is an estimate of how long you will be able to live and is calculated by the medical staff treating the patient. It should be noted that this period of time could be met with appropriate treatment.
After a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the question about life expectancy usually comes up. It is an estimate of how long you will be able to live and is calculated by the medical staff treating the patient. It should be noted that this period of time could be met with appropriate treatment.
After a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the question about life expectancy usually comes up. It is an estimate of how long you will be able to live and is calculated by the medical staff treating the patient. It should be noted that this period of time could be met with appropriate treatment.
Everyone has an expectation of life, including people who do not have cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that mesothelioma cancer can reduce a patient's life by about 13 years.
Expectations are based on experiences with other patients with the same diagnosis. Historically, some patients with certain characteristics have lived longer than others, these statistics allow doctors to predict what may happen in people with similar profiles.
On average, the life expectancy for patients with mesothelioma is one year. However, the life expectancy can vary significantly, depending on the type of disease. For example, a patient in stage I pleural mesothelioma will have a very different life expectancy than a patient with stage III peritoneal mesothelioma.
How do doctors estimate the life expectancy of a patient with mesothelioma?
Instead of saying that a patient has a certain life expectancy, doctors discuss these estimates with patients and their families based on statistics. These statistics, known as the survival rate, refer to the percentage of patients who survived a certain period of time.
Normally, survival rates are measured in one-year and five-year periods (three-year survival rates are becoming more common because the average life expectancy of patients has moved a year longer.) have revealed the following survival rates for all types of mesothelioma
- 40 percent (four out of 10 patients) reaches one year of life.
- 10 percent (one in 10 patients) reaches three years of life.
- 8 percent (eight of every 100 patients) reaches 5 years of life.
These life expectancy statistics can be explained more specifically by the type of disease.
- 10 percent of patients with pleural mesothelioma reach five years of life.
- 25 percent of patients with peritoneal mesothelioma reach three years of life.
Some factors (such as treatment methods and positive patient responses) can dramatically increase the patient's life expectancy. For example, one study found that 70 percent of patients undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatment, in which three types of drugs were used, helped patients live for about five years.
What factors affect life expectancy?
Medical and personal factors can influence the life expectancy of a patient affected by mesothelioma. The most common and influential factors include:
- The stage in which the disease is found (Patients diagnosed in the early stages of the disease respond more positively to treatment, and therefore live longer after diagnosis).
- The intensity of the treatment regimen (A multimodal therapy plan that combines surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy has greater chances of reducing the progression of the disease and simultaneously improving life expectancy).
- The patient's personal reaction to the treatment (Each patient's chemistry works differently with drugs used in chemotherapy to treat the disease, in the same way, each tumor grows differently.) These factors cannot be counted in a prognostic expectation of life of a patient).
Other factors that alter the prognosis of a patient's life include age, gender, cell subtype, race, and if he is an active smoker or not.
Stage I
At this early stage, the cancer is localized and is found only in the membrane that lines the lung, the diaphragm, or the sac that covers the heart on the same side as the chest. Patients who are hopefully diagnosed at this stage are good candidates for a biopsy that resects the tumor. In this phase, a full recovery is possible, because early detection is a positive sign.
Stage II
This phase is considered advanced since cancer has spread to other areas outside its point of origin. Mesothelioma in this phase can be found in the membrane that lines the chest wall and the lymph nodes on that same side of the chest. Additionally, as in the previous phase, cancer can be located in other areas such as the membrane of the lungs, the diaphragm or the sac that covers the heart on the same side as the chest. Although surgery is still an option at this point, life expectancy has declined.
Stage III
The cases of mesothelioma that are diagnosed in this phase usually occur after the patient has noticed their symptoms. In this phase, cancer has spread to the walls of the chest, the mediastinum, the heart, the membrane that lines the peritoneum or the diaphragm. It is a fateful discovery for patients because it means that cancer has advanced to other parts of the chest or even outside this area. Palliative surgery, which is not curative, can be considered at this stage to improve individual symptoms and make the patient feel better.
Stage IV
The final phase of mesothelioma happens when cancer has spread to different localities of the body. It is a very painful phase for the patient, and it is common that palliative treatments are used to improve their comfort. However, life expectancy during this stage drops.
You are not defined by your life expectancy
It is important to know that the patient's life expectancy is a prognosis that the doctor performs, however it is not a fact. It is impossible to determine how long a person will live or how their body will respond to treatment. While it is quite interesting for patients to know how long other patients with the same diagnosis have battled, they must take into account that they have their own destiny that is very likely to be different from any other.
Additionally, many studies of life expectancy for patients with mesothelioma are carried out in periods of time between five and 10 years. In more recent studies, therapies have become more advanced (and life expectancy has improved) and as a result. The information obtained in old books does not necessarily reflect their perspective.
Meanwhile, researchers are still looking for more effective treatments. The average expectation for patients with mesothelioma can continue to increase in terms of months, years or even decades.
Period of latency
Unlike other forms of cancer, mesothelioma symptoms usually do not appear until decades after the initial carcinogenic exposure. This extended latency period allows cancer to develop and spread before it is diagnosed. As a result of this late diagnosis, many patients can only fight against the disease itself. Only receive palliative care to relieve their pain.
When the diagnosis is in the last stages, the mesothelioma does not respond to the treatments and the patients do not have enough strength to undergo intense surgeries or other therapies. This latency and the consequent pattern of having to treat the symptoms more than the disease itself, count so that mesothelioma has a short life expectancy.
Patient's age
Statistics show that the average age of mesothelioma patients is 60 years old. Affecting men aged 55 years and older by 75%. Since many of the elderly patients may suffer from other diseases that can affect their health. The immune system of these individuals may not be able to fight in optimal conditions. In addition, younger patients can undergo more aggressive treatments, while older patients. Who are the ones who usually develop mesothelioma, are not usually able to take on the stress of serious treatment.
Histology
Malignant mesothelioma can be divided into three histological subtypes: epithelial, sarcomatoid and biphasic:
Epithelial
This variety is the most common form of cancer and accounts for 60% of mesotheliomas. Since it is a common form, scientists have had more opportunities to study this variety. So patients with epithelial mesothelioma have a more promising life expectancy than patients with sarcomatoid and biphasic mesothelioma.
Sarcomatoid
This subtype affects malignant mesothelioma spindle neurons that mimic malignant mesenchymal tumors. It is the least common and the most aggressive, and treatment options are limited.
Biphasic
A mixture of the characteristics of epithelial and sarcomatoid mesothelioma has been observed in this type of mesothelioma. Unfortunately, life expectancy in patients with biphasic mesothelioma is six months, the lowest of the three.
Smoke
Smoking is one of the biggest factors that affects poor life expectancy. Although tobacco does not directly cause mesothelioma, it can aggravate the condition and affect the general health of the patient. In particular to those patients suffering from pleural mesothelioma. Smoking can substantially lower life expectancy compared to other patients as well as the impact on their quality of life.
Prolong life expectancy
Doctors and scientists are constantly studying and developing new ways to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of patients. With all types of cancer including mesothelioma. More often, clinical trials are conducted to test the effectiveness of new drugs and treatment methods that appear continuously, giving hope to patients. However, in the case of mesothelioma, the most important frontier is in the field of diagnosis. As it is an asymptomatic disease, defeating the long latency period is a long way in the treatment of the disease and in increasing life expectancy.
Despite these important factors, the life expectancy of those suffering from mesothelioma can vary substantially among patients. Although some patients choose to undergo more intense treatments to eliminate cancer cells Limitations such as age. Health and the stage of cancer sometimes make it impossible to undergo these therapies. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are the most common forms of treatment currently used. Although doctors hope to develop more advanced procedures to help treat diseases that have a very short life expectancy.
Other options for patients struggling with this disease may include getting a second response. Undergoing alternative treatments, being part of a clinical trial, improving nutrition, or improving the immune system.
Obtaining a second medical opinion is always a good option, as their stages are usually not well diagnosed. A patient can be told that he is in phase III. He can seek a second opinion only to know that he is really in phase II. This failure in diagnosis can make a big difference.
Alternative therapies
Since there is no medical treatment to cure cancer. Especially one that is as aggressive as mesothelioma, alternative treatments are popular among patients seeking help outside of traditional medicine. Many patients suffering from mesothelioma recognize the benefits of options such as acupuncture, meditation, and alternative medicine, to name a few. Although these therapies are only measures to alleviate the symptomatology. Because they are not curative treatments.
They are receiving more attention lately as a form of multimodal approach to combat mesothelioma. With a variety of alternative treatments that include natural medicine options and those that have to do with the mind, body, and soul,
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are always willing to recruit volunteers. And researchers are constantly testing new medicines and treatments in the hope of finding a cure for mesothelioma. These trials allow patients to count on the advantages of new treatments that can increase survival. However, it is important to remember that clinical trials are not without risk.
Nutrition
Nutrition generally has an important impact on health, and more particularly, when a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma. If a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma it is an important factor to have a healthy balance of beneficial food with high levels of antioxidants, minerals, and proteins. For patients suffering from cancer, it is recommended to eat at least five times a day fruits and vegetables. These foods are rich in antioxidants and can help the immune system making the body healthier and with greater ability to fight against diseases.
The immune system can also be improved. Treatments such as immunotherapy rejuvenate the immune system seeking to repair damaged aspects of the system that do not work properly.
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