Wednesday, July 18, 2007

What is the mesothelioma survival rate?

The average age at diagnosis is 50 to 70 years old. The disease affects men 3 to 5 times more often than women. Mesothelioma is less common in African Americans than in Caucasians. The average survival time is about one year.
However early detection and aggressive treatment can increase this survival time. 50% of patients whose cancer was detected early reach 2 years. 20% reach 5 years. Treatment is being improved and often results in a better outlook for newly diagnosed patients. The 5-year survival rate refers to the percent of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Many of these patients live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis, and 5-year rates are used to produce a standard way of discussing prognosis. Five-year relative survival rates exclude from the calculations patients dying of other diseases, and are considered to be a more accurate way to describe the prognosis for patients with a particular type and stage of cancer. Of course, 5-year survival rates are based on patients diagnosed and initially treated more than 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment often result in a more favorable outlook for recently diagnosed patients. Mesothelioma is a serious disease. By the time the symptoms appear and cancer is diagnosed, the disease is often advanced. The average survival time is about one year. However, if the cancer is found early and treated aggressively, almost half of the patients whose cancer is found early reach the two-year mark, and about 20% survive five years. Like most cancers, the outlook for recovery (prognosis) often depends on how early the disease is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated. Patients are often told that the expected survival time is only 12 to 18 months. However, specialists at leading cancer centers often have better statistics.

source- http://cancer.health-cares.net/mesothelioma-survival-rate.php

Friday, June 29, 2007