Mesothelioma Information

As with any disease or health condition, mesothelioma researchers have, over time, collected statistical information about mesothelioma. These statistics can help us learn about the proclivities of the disease and its incidence and potentially help future patients as we learn more about mesothelioma.

Incidence of Diagnosis

New cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in between 2,500 and 3,000 Americans each year. These numbers, while significant, would indicate that mesothelioma is still a relatively rare disease, though incidence is expected to rise in the next decade according to projections.

Age at Diagnosis

The first diagnosis of mesothelioma typically occurs in men and women between the ages of 50 and 70 years. Mesothelioma patients, certainly, have been diagnosed at ages younger than 50 and older than 70, but diagnoses for those age groups are considered statistical anomalies.

Does Mesothelioma Occur in a Particular Sex or Racial Demographic More than Another?

Mesothelioma is much more common in men than women, due mostly to occupational asbestos exposure being more common among men of industrial labor sites. That is not to say, however, that women cannot be diagnosed with mesothelioma. In fact, recent evidence suggests that mesothelioma incidence in women may rise in the coming years as secondary exposures to asbestos can manifest in the form of a positive mesothelioma diagnosis. Also of note is that mesothelioma is much less common among African Americans than white Americans, the reasons for which researchers are still investigating.

What are Typical Patient Survival Rates Following a Mesothelioma Diagnosis?

As mesothelioma is often diagnosed in its advanced stages, the mesothelioma prognosis is sometimes poor with life expectancy being little more than a year following diagnosis. If diagnosed early enough however, patient prognoses increase dramatically. Patient survival rates are often contingent on the treatments available to the particular patient. In early mesothelioma stages, tumors eligible for mesothelioma surgery and will result in improved prognoses over those who are diagnosed with stage 3 mesothelioma or stage 4 mesothelioma. As new and alternative mesothelioma treatments are researched and employed in the future, it is realistic to anticipate an improvement in patient survival rates.

Other Mesothelioma Information

Mesothelioma Disease

Mesothelioma cancer is a rare disease that attacks the cells of the tissue that lines the body cavity called the mesothelium. Its only known cause is exposure to asbestos fibers.

Mesothelioma Latency Period

Typically, there is a great deal of time between an individual's exposure to asbestos and the development of asbestos-related health complications. Mesothelioma is associated with a long-latency period (often 20-50 years) after exposure. Over a long period of time, lodged asbestos fibers slowly inflame the lung's external tissue, often serving as a pre-cursor to the development of malignant mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Remission

Mesothelioma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer. Mesothelioma will often quickly metastasize from its origin into the lungs, abdominal cavity, and lymph nodes. As such, very few mesothelioma patients go into remission. However, if treated properly and early enough, many patients have been able to extend survival rates long beyond previous expectations. Treatment options include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and mesothelioma radiation.

Mesothelioma Cure

While advancements in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma have made tremendous forward strides in recent years, there is currently no cure for mesothelioma. Patients who are diagnosed with early-stage disease may survive many years if the cancer is treated early with surgery, chemotherapy, and managed radiation therapy. Many patients have also had success through the utilization of alternative therapies in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments.

Mesothelioma Survivors

While there is currently no cure for mesothelioma, many patients have had success in managing their cancer with not only traditional treatments like chemotherapy and surgical methods, but also through the use of nutritional supplements, palliative therapies, and body-stress reduction techniques. Some patients diagnosed with mesothelioma have survived many years after what was an initially unfavorable prognosis.

Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Mesothelioma currently has no known cure and, as such, the survival rate for mesothelioma is low. However, mesothelioma can be managed through the use of many different treatment options. Aggressive therapies like extra-pleural pneumonectomy have extended survival periods long beyond previous expectations of mesothelioma doctors and oncologists.

Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Life expectancy for those diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma depends on a number of factors including, general patient health, cancer stage at diagnosis, and the eligibility of the patient for certain treatment options. Those diagnosed with early stage cancer who are in generally good health will have a more favorable prognosis than those diagnosed with later-stage disease.

Mesothelioma Prevention

Mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that was used for many years as an industrial insulation component. As such, the best mesothelioma prevention is the avoidance of exposure to asbestos. However, in recent years, physicians and cancer specialists have been developing a mesothelioma vaccine that will arm the body's immune system with cancer fighting anti-bodies and antigens in those who are at risk for the development of mesothelioma.

Adult Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is most common in adults. Adults who have asbestos exposure history are typically those most at risk for the development of malignant mesothelioma. It can take many years for those exposed to asbestos exposure to exhibit the effects of exposure and, as such, mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in older individuals, often up to 40 years following exposure.

Child Mesothelioma

Childhood diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is extremely rare, although it has been documented. Mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos and takes many years following exposure to asbestos to manifest in adults. Generally speaking, childhood mesothelioma is considered to be unrelated to asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma and Women

Many women that have been diagnosed with mesothelioma had no direct exposure to asbestos from working in industrial job settings. Instead they discover that they are victims of second-hand asbestos exposure that occurred while washing their husband's clothes that came home from work with asbestos fibers on them.

Mesothelioma Vaccine

Recent studies by researchers in the Netherlands have found promising results in preventative therapies for mesothelioma. Using cancer-fighting antigens within the body's immune system, mesothelioma patients have responded positively in most cases when treated with the mesothelioma vaccine. The hope is now that this therapy can be applied to those who may be at risk of developing mesothelioma in the future, particularly those who have been exposed to asbestos but have yet to develop asbestos disease.

Medical Timeline

Historical timeline containing important facts and developments related to the manufacture and use of asbestos and documented cases of mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos related diseases.

Source
National Cancer Institute - Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma

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