Mesothelioma Survival

Mesothelioma Survival

Mesothelioma Survival Rate May Improve with Multimodality Therapy

While clinical trials and research studies have made great advancements in understanding mesothelioma cancer, a cure has yet to be discovered. Presently, data shows the best hope for extending a mesothelioma patient’s life span is to undergo multimodality therapy, where more than one form of aggressive therapy is combined to enhance treatment effect.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. The mesothelioma life expectancy currently ranges between four and 18 months. Every year in the United States approximately 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are reported.

Due to the long latency period associated with the cancer, many patients will not experience related symptoms until 20 to 50 years after exposure. By this time, the disease has already progressed to later stages of development. Unfortunately, most symptoms of mesothelioma are also found with less serious conditions and can lead to a wrong diagnosis or a delay in accurate diagnosis. The later the cancer is diagnosed, the more difficult it is to treat.

Mesothelioma rarely responds positively to just one mode of treatment. Doctors and researchers have learned that combating the cancer successfully calls for more than one mode of treatment. Commonly called multimodality therapy, this approach unites treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy or some unique form of treatment like immunotherapy to improve mesothelioma life expectancy.

In most cases, opting for multimodality therapy adds months to the patient’s life expectancy, which ranges depending up each individual case. However, a number of mesothelioma survivors found salvation in choosing to undergo multimodality therapy, which has been known to help some patients survive the cancer for five years and beyond. With increasing reports of mesothelioma survivors and growing research breakthroughs, much hope is available to recently diagnosed mesothelioma patients looking to improve their life expectancy.

Additional information on mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.