Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which affects the cells making up the membrane surrounding bodily organs. As such, there are two main types of the condition which strike against the lungs and the abdomen. Unfortunately, mesothelioma prognosis in both types is poor.
Such is the severity of the condition, patients are often told their life expectancy to be no more than a year from diagnosis. There are suggestions from clinical trials that mesothelioma life expectancy could be in excess of five years, though much of this circumstantial and not a firm basis for judgment.
It is true that the prognosis of the condition is increased where patients have undergone surgical removal of the diseased cells. There is also an increase of a number of weeks shown where these patients go on to have further treatment such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and biological therapies.
The sad fact remains that the prognosis is bleak though. Of forty percent where the condition is diagnosed, sufferers will have died within twelve months. Twenty percent of sufferers will have died within twenty four months from diagnosis.
Survival rates longer than this are rare, with only ten percent being alive three years from the point of diagnosis, and just eight percent after five years. Anything longer this is extremely rare, and no firm statistics are able to be interrogated in this regard.
Though catching the condition early extends mesothelioma life expectancy, this is not the only affecting factor. General health and lifestyle are also very relevant. The fitter and more active an individual already is, the better able they are to cope with the illness itself and any treatment.
Regrettably, the overall mesothelioma prognosis remains poor despite much research being conducted. However, these studies do continue on a very fast paced level, to help battle the increasing rates expected over the next few decades.
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