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The 5-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is 12%. The mesothelioma survival rate is the percentage of people who live a certain time after diagnosis. The average survival rate for mesothelioma is 15 months with treatment. Some individuals survive for over 10 years.
Written by Karen Selby, RN | Medically Reviewed By Dr. Rupesh Kotecha | Edited By Walter Pacheco | Last Update: October 14, 2024
The 5-year relative survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is 12%. For peritoneal mesothelioma, it’s much higher, at 65%. Survival rates describe the percentage of people with a particular cancer who are still alive a certain amount of time (usually 5 years) after they were diagnosed.
Note that such statistics don’t necessarily apply to any person. Some patients with mesothelioma, like Tammy Frank, have survived for 10 years or more after diagnosis with treatment.
Mesothelioma survival rates vary by location, cancer stage, individual patient health and treatments selected. The most successful mesothelioma treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.
The National Cancer Institute publishes mesothelioma survival data every few years through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER). The data shows a steady trend of improved survival rates over the past 2 decades.
Your doctor will use mesothelioma survival rate data to evaluate your prognosis. This data averages patient survival time based on thousands of cases. While it can’t predict your outcome, it can help you understand what happened to other patients with a similar diagnosis.
There have been people who survived way beyond what the statistics say. I plan on being one of those. I have a lot of people counting on me being around. I’m not going to disappoint them.
Survival rate data is one piece of the puzzle when a doctor determines the best mesothelioma treatment for you. For example, statistics show better survival rates among people diagnosed at a younger age who are eligible for aggressive treatments. This could mean that if you’re a younger patient, your doctor may recommend more aggressive mesothelioma treatment options.
“What frustrates me the most, and I hear this almost every time I have a new patient … ‘I just saw my doctor today, and they said I have a year to 16 months to live.’ That is not the case,” says RN and Patient Advocate Karen Selby. “You’re an individual. This is your story.”
Factors affecting a person’s mesothelioma cancer survival rate include their tumor location, cell type and disease stage, as well as age, gender and overall health. These affect how long a person will live after a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Women and younger patients tend to live longer. Patients with peritoneal tumors, early-stage disease, epithelioid cells and those who pursue multimodal therapy also tend to live longer.
Peritoneal mesothelioma survival rates are significantly better than rates for pleural disease. About 65% of all peritoneal mesothelioma patients survive for 5 years or more.
Year(s) | Pleural | Peritoneal |
---|---|---|
1 year | 73% | 92% |
3 years | 23% | 74% |
5 years | 12% | 65% |
10 years | 5% | 39% |
This is 5 times the 5-year survival rate compared to pleural patients. Eligible patients with asbestos-related cancer in the peritoneum live between 31 months and 103 months with HIPEC surgery.
Women with mesothelioma appear to survive longer than men regardless of age, cancer stage, race or type of treatment. The 5-year relative survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is 21.42% for women compared to 9.3% for men.
Gender | 1-Year Survival | 3-Year Survival | 5-Year Survival |
---|---|---|---|
Females | 57% | 31% | 21% |
Males | 50% | 17% | 9% |
Researchers are exploring the possible reasons why women with mesothelioma survive longer than men. Women are also more likely to be diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma has better survival than pleural tumors. This further skews survival rates to favor women living longer on average.
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Younger people diagnosed with mesothelioma have higher survival rates compared with people diagnosed at an older age. About 75% of the patients diagnosed before age 50 live for 1 year, whereas about 44% of patients diagnosed at 65 years old or older live that long.
Age Range | 1-Year Survival Rate |
---|---|
< 50 | 75.2% |
50+ | 47.0% |
65+ | 49.6% |
75+ | 37.5% |
Younger patients tend to be healthier than older patients, which means they’re eligible for more aggressive and effective therapies. They are also less likely to be diagnosed with coexisting chronic conditions such as pulmonary disease, diabetes or a history of other cancers.
Pleural mesothelioma survivor Kevin Sinyard far surpassed the average mesothelioma survival rate. He was initially told he only had 6 months to live before undergoing extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery. He then underwent aggressive chemotherapy and radiation regimens. Kevin told us, “I’m proof that you can survive and still live a really good life.”
The stage of mesothelioma at diagnosis is a strong predictor of your overall survival. The SEER Program groups cancer survival rates into localized, regional and distant stages. This grouping distills the 4 pleural mesothelioma stages into 3. “Localized” represents stage 1. “Regional” roughly represents stages 2 and 3. “Distant” represents stage 4.
1-Year | 3-Year | 5-Year | |
---|---|---|---|
Stage 1-2 | 61.1% | 30.7% | 20.6% |
Stage 3 | 56.7% | 26.0% | 13.8% |
Stage 4 | 42.9% | 15.7% | 9.2% |
Patients in the early stages who receive prompt treatment experience improved survival rates. They’re more likely to qualify for surgery and other aggressive treatment options. More aggressive therapies are associated with better outcomes.
The types of cells that make up tumors impact patient survival. Mesothelioma has 3 cell types: epithelioid, sarcomatoid and biphasic.
Predominant Cell Type | Median Survival in Months |
---|---|
Epithelial | 18 months |
Sarcomatoid | 5 months |
Biphasic | 16 months |
Biphasic tumors have epithelioid and sarcomatoid features. More epithelial cells mean a better prognosis for mesothelioma patients. If the cancer is primarily sarcomatoid cells, mesothelioma life expectancy decreases.
Mesothelioma patients with a history of smoking, heavy alcohol use or poor diet tend to have lower survival rates. Coexisting conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, can affect your survival as well.
Good nutrition and exercise habits can positively impact your survival. A healthy diet and regular exercise help patients respond better to cancer treatment.
Your genes and family history also play a role. More than 90% of mesothelioma cases occur in white men, but Black patients have a nearly 5% better 5-year survival rate.
Mesothelioma survival rates depend on the type and stage of the cancer. The 5-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is 12%, and for peritoneal mesothelioma, it is 65%. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type, but it’s more aggressive and more challenging to detect early. Most patients live 12 to 21 months after diagnosis.
Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdomen, has a much better 5-year survival rate of about 65%, especially with surgery and heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) treatment. It responds better to treatments, and many patients live more than 5 years when treated early.
Type of Mesothelioma | Average Life Expectancy | 5-Year Survival Rate |
---|---|---|
Pleural Mesothelioma | 12-21 months | 12% |
Peritoneal Mesothelioma | 3-5 years (with HIPEC) | 65% |
Pericardial Mesothelioma | 3-10 months | Less than 1% |
Testicular Mesothelioma | 20 months-2 years | Data is limited |
Pericardial mesothelioma, found around the heart, is rare and usually diagnosed late. The average life expectancy is 3 to 10 months, and treatment is mainly for symptom relief. Testicular mesothelioma, the rarest form, affects the area around the testes, and patients often live 20 months to 2 years, depending on the stage and treatment.
Many factors can improve the mesothelioma survival rate, including early diagnosis and innovative treatments. Long-term mesothelioma survivors often attribute their survival to multidisciplinary care or clinical trials. Others say lifestyle changes, such as nutritional improvements, helped them after diagnosis.
Don’t assume your prognosis follows mesothelioma survival statistics alone. A 5-year survival rate doesn’t describe how mesothelioma cancer symptoms may impact your quality of life. Each patient reacts differently to treatment. Chemotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy and other therapies can extend survival beyond the statistical average.
A study of pleural patients showed that, on average, those who received surgery, chemotherapy and radiation lived for 21.7 months. Those who decided against treatment reported an overall survival of 10.2 months.
Another study published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology found that patients with a better nutritional status lived an average of 18 months compared to 11 months among those with poor nutritional status.
Depending on the course of mesothelioma treatment you choose and your circumstances, you may live longer than survival rates suggest. The 5-year survival rates don’t consider the most recent advances in medicine.
Statistics may be a source of comfort for some people and confusing or frightening for others. However, survival rates only consider people diagnosed in the past. Those diagnosed today may have more available treatment options and a better chance of survival.
“We had been living a ‘live the year’ type of thing. But after recovery … now it’s not only that we have a bucket list, now we have a ‘we’re going to do this’ list,” mesothelioma survivor Brunilda Villareal told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “Tomorrow is very important – it’s sacred.”
You may wish to focus on your treatment plan and let your doctor provide more personalized information. Advances in treatment options help some patients live beyond average survival rates.
Get help paying for mesothelioma treatment by accessing trust funds, grants and other options.
Get Help NowBased on tumor location alone, the average 5-year survival rate for pleural mesothelioma is approximately 12%, while peritoneal mesothelioma has an average 5-year survival rate of 65%. The mesothelioma survival rate depends on several factors, including the location, cell type and mesothelioma stage. Age, sex and overall health also influence the survival rate.
Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive and fatal disease, however, some patients have survived more than 10 years after their diagnosis. While there is no cure for this cancer, there have been advances in care. Most mesothelioma patients only survive approximately 12 months after diagnosis, but treatment may extend mesothelioma survival.
Survival rate is the percentage of cancer patients who live a certain number of years after diagnosis. For example, 20.7% of mesothelioma patients live for 3 years or more. The mesothelioma mortality rate is the number of deaths within specific geographical locations and groups of people. For example, as of 2021, there were 0.7 deaths from mesothelioma per 100,000 people in the United States.
The 5-year survival rate for mesothelioma patients is approximately 12%. The 5-year survival rate for lung cancer patients is about 26.6%.
People who have underlying health conditions like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are at risk of complications with mesothelioma surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. These conditions may exclude some patients from surgery, which is the most effective treatment to extend survival.
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My family has only the highest compliment for the assistance and support that we received from The Mesothelioma Center. This is a staff of compassionate and knowledgeable individuals who respect what your family is experiencing and who go the extra mile to make an unfortunate diagnosis less stressful. Information and assistance were provided by The Mesothelioma Center at no cost to our family.LashawnMesothelioma patient’s daughter
Selby, K. (2024, October 14). Mesothelioma Survival Rate. Asbestos.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/survival-rate/
Selby, Karen. "Mesothelioma Survival Rate." Asbestos.com, 14 Oct 2024, https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/survival-rate/.
Selby, Karen. "Mesothelioma Survival Rate." Asbestos.com. Last modified October 14, 2024. https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/survival-rate/.
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Dr. Rupesh Kotecha is a renowned radiation oncologist in leadership roles at Miami Cancer Institute. He is an associate professor at Florida International University's college of medicine and an adjunct faculty member at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
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