Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Survival Rates of Mesothelioma

The term survival rate refers to the percentage of people who will live for a certain period of time after receiving a diagnosis. It is often measured in years, such as one-year, five-year and 10-year survival rates, but the five-year rate is the time span most commonly used by the medical community. Because of the nature of mesothelioma cancer, a rare and aggressive disease, data for 10-year survival rates is not available, and researchers tend to evaluate pleural mesothelioma patients in one-year intervals up to five years.

Survival rates for pleural mesothelioma patients are low. About 10 percent of people diagnosed with the disease live between three and five years. Only 5 percent survive five years or longer. Although mesothelioma remains an incurable cancer with a short life expectancy, some patients surpass the average mesothelioma survival rate because of their overall good health and by electing to receive specific treatments. For patients who are able to have surgery, survival rates are likely to be much higher than those of patients who aren't candidates for surgery. This is because surgery gives patients the best chance of removing as much of the cancer as possible and this slows down metastasis to extend survival.

Several factors about pleural mesothelioma cancer and the patient can affect survival rates. One of the most important factors is the stage at which the cancer was discovered. Another influential factor is the cell type of the cancer. Both the stage and the cell type of the cancer are important because they influence the type of treatments that are available and indicate how effective those treatments are likely to be. A patient's eligibility for treatment options like surgery and chemotherapy and how they react to these treatments will also affect survival rate statistics.

Staging of Pleural Mesothelioma and Survival Rate

Staging has the most significant influence on pleural mesothelioma survival rates. The earlier pleural mesothelioma is diagnosed, for instance, in Stage 1 or Stage 2 when the tumor is less likely to have spread beyond the point of origin, the more likely it can be surgically removed or controlled with other types of treatment. However, if it is detected during a later stage of development, such as Stage 3 or Stage 4, the cancer has likely spread to other areas of the body and many types of treatment are less likely to be effective in treating it. Therefore, since there are fewer effective treatments available to treat late-stage pleural mesothelioma, the expected life expectancy is much shorter and the average associated survival rate is much lower. In a 1996 study, only about one-third of patients with Stage 4 pleural mesothelioma survived one year or more. Stage 3 mesothelioma patients tend to share similar results.

There is one primary factor for why people with Stage 1 or Stage 2 pleural mesothelioma have a higher survival rate than those with a Stage 3 or Stage 4 diagnosis.  Stage 1 and 2 cases are more likely to be  candidates for surgery. Since surgery removes more cancerous cells than any other treatment, surgery is considered to be one of the most effective means of treatment.

Early detection is one of the most important factors effecting survival rate. It is possible to detect the cancer before symptoms are noticeable, but because pleural mesothelioma symptoms are normally so mild, and many people are unaware of the health risks associated with asbestos exposure, early detection often occurs unexpectedly while treating a separate condition. The best way for anyone with a history of asbestos exposure to detect pleural mesothelioma in its early stages is to have an annual screening with someone familiar with asbestos-related diseases.

Cell Types that Affect Survival Rate

Pleural mesothelioma can consist of two cell types, including epithelial and sarcomatoid cells. In some cases, mesothelioma can be made up of a combination of the two, known as biphasic mesothelioma. Although survival rate statistics are not generally kept for individual cell types, there is no doubt that a particular cell type can influence a patient's chance of surpassing the five-year survival rate.

Epithelioid mesothelioma, the most common cell type, typically responds more favorably to surgery and chemotherapy, which are two of the most effective treatment methods for pleural mesothelioma. As a result, those who reach the five-year survival rate generally have the epithelial cell type. In contrast, tumors made up of sarcomatoid cells are less responsive to most treatments; therefore, associated survival rates are lower. Tumors that are biphasic in cell make-up often have a mixed response to treatment that is dependent on the ratio of sarcomatoid to epithelial cells. The larger the ratio in favor of sarcomatoid cells the less likely the tumors are to respond favorably to treatment, and therefore they are more likely to have lower associated survival rates.  

Other Factors that Affect Survival Rate

Even though the stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis is the most important determinant of survival for mesothelioma patients, a number of other factors can also play a role. Overall health is important, and it is one element a doctor uses to determine how aggressive to be during treatment. For instance, people who are not in good overall health can be removed from consideration for surgery. Being in good health also helps patients respond better to treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.

The sooner a patient is diagnosed, the better the associated survival rates. Factors that can lower the odds of beating average survival rates and make symptoms worse include smoking, fluid in the lungs, larger tumors and built-up scar tissue. All of these can significantly limit treatment options.

How Treatment Affects Survival Rate

How well pleural mesothelioma responds to treatment is a big contributor to a patient's survival rate. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of patients benefit from surgery. When patients receive palliative treatment without surgery, average survival is about six months. Research is now showing that a multimodal approach involving surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy provides patients with the best chance of reaching the five-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma. 

One study showed that a multimodal treatment plan most effectively helped patients to live longer than five years. Data showed a five-year survival rate of 46 percent in patients diagnosed with epithelioid mesothelioma, no mediastinal lymph node involvement (Stage 1) and clear resection margins (meaning these patients had the most cancer cells removed from the edges of the tumor during surgery).

Another study at Brigham and Women's reported two- and five-year survival rates of 38 percent and 15 percent in 183 patients with pleural mesothelioma who received chemotherapy or chemoradiation following an extrapleural pneumonectomy.

The standard chemotherapy regimen for pleural mesothelioma is a combination of cisplatin and pemetrexed. Such chemotherapy drugs are often prescribed after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. If doctors were unable to remove all of a tumor during surgery, they may use radiation therapy to shrink any remaining tumors. This kind of combination treatment can help manage pleural mesothelioma and increase associated survival rates.

MESOTHELIOMA LIFE EXPECTANCY

Life Expectancy of Pleural Mesothelioma Patients

Having a diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma generally means a short life expectancy. The median survival rate for patients is six to eight months. This low rate is caused by numerous factors. Most malignant pleural mesothelioma patients are older and are diagnosed only once the cancer has reached later stages.

Despite the poor prognosis, some patients can live for five years or longer after being diagnosed with MPM. These patients usually undergo significant treatments that include a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Other factors that help to increase life expectancy include a uniform cell type that make up the tumor, good overall health and an early diagnosis.

As diagnostic tests and treatment options continue to improve, so will the average mesothelioma prognosis. This is especially true for MPM. Because pleural mesothelioma accounts for 75 percent of all mesothelioma cases, most of the research on the disease pertains to MPM.

Find out what you can do to improve your life expectancy. Request a free informational packet from The Mesothelioma Center with details about treatments, prognosis and doctors. Complete the form on this page to have a complimentary packet mailed to you overnight.

Factors Affecting Pleural Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

One 2009 study analyzed the overall survival of 456 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. Groups of patients were separated based on the types of cell structure that made up their tumors as well as what surgical treatments they elected to receive.

Pleurectomy/decortication, which removes cancerous areas of the lining of the lung, was performed on more than half the patients. Pleurodesis/biopsy, which is used to drain fluid and reduce future buildup, was also a common choice. Extrapleural pneumonectomy , in which the diseased lung is entirely removed, was the least-favored option because of the severity of losing a lung. All three types of surgery were associated with an improved average survival.

Improving Pleural Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Though some life expectancy factors such as age at diagnosis or latency period cannot be altered or otherwise improved, advancements in pleural mesothelioma treatment are improving life expectancies for many patients. Medical professionals that research and treat pleural mesothelioma are always seeking and testing new methods to improve the prognosis, which is primarily achieved through clinical trials and mesothelioma research. These trials test new medications and treatment options and a number of mesothelioma patients have benefited from participating in such clinical studies.

Advancements in the early diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma are also opening up more treatment options to a greater number of patients. Early detection allows physicians to take a more aggressive treatment track and this can greatly improve life expectancy, but this option is not available to all mesothelioma patients and varies from case to case. Some of the more aggressive treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

After surgery, some patients underwent further treatments: radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. These additional treatments made a notable difference in life expectancy and were associated with a higher 18-month survival rate. This means that patients who had surgery followed by more treatments had a higher chance of living for 18 or more months. Of all 456 patients, 127 of them lived 18 months or longer.

The study also concluded that some tumors are easier to treat than others. Tumors made up of more uniform cells generally are associated with a better prognosis and longer life expectancy than tumors with a more randomized cell structure.

In addition to cell type and treatment, certain other factors are affiliated with a better prognosis. Good overall health contributes to a longer life expectancy after diagnosis. Younger patients with better health generally have fewer complications during treatment and faster recovery after surgery.

If your pleural mesothelioma is diagnosed in early stages, you likely will have a longer life expectancy. This is generally because the tumor is still localized, which normally gives you more treatment options. However, since it can take decades for symptoms to appear, it is rare for MPM to be diagnosed in an early stage. In fact, only about 10 to 20 percent of all pleural mesothelioma patients are diagnosed early enough to receive potentially curative surgery.