A diagnosis of cancer of any type is scary. All people hear about cancer is how badly it damages the body and how deadly it can be. But the good news is that for many types of cancer, the treatment options have greatly increased survival rates.
Mesothelioma is no different. If you have a mesothelioma diagnosis, it may help to understand that survival rates have been growing in recent years. But looking at the statistics can help you to get an idea of what to expect and allow you to better plan for the future.
Survival statistics
Cancer.org published five-year survival rates for the different stages of mesothelioma based on information from 2012-2018. It is important to note these statistics reflect many different types of patients and are not an exact science that can actually predict how long you may live after diagnosis. These numbers reflect available data influenced by many factors, including the type of care received, the progression of the cancer, age and overall health, which greatly influence survival rates in individuals.
Five-year survival rate
The five-year rate is how many people survive five years after diagnosis compared to the general population. For localized cancer where it is present only in the pleura, the rate is 24%. Regional, which means the cancer spread to nearby areas of the body has a 16% survival rate. For distant cases where the cancer spread to other areas of the body, the rate is 7%.
While the survival rates may look dismal, treatments are improving. Early diagnosis is happening more often, which significantly increases survival rates. In general, the chances of survival are improving.