Nowadays patients with mesothelioma are surviving longer than before. It may be because of several factors, but mesothelioma survival rates are increasing.

Factors affecting survival rates

Current survival results

The mesothelioma survival rates does not include the current data. They actually show the rates of the past. Doctors use the results of past patients and that data of the past to provide survival rates. That is why, it cannot include the present data and so it may not be accurate.

New treatment options

Along with time, treatment options also improve in different diseases and the same is true in case of mesothelioma. The treatment options that are available today may not be available in the past when the data was collected. When you look at the clinical trials you will find new and innovative treatments for the disease.

Misleading statistics

Mesothelioma survival rates may be misleading because they also include patients who did not receive treatment or who probably did not receive treatments from mesothelioma experts.

Age and gender

It is a very important factor in determining the survival rate of patients suffering from mesothelioma. The rate will vary depending on the age of the patient. Younger patients have higher survival rates. The health of the patient will also be crucial because it will decide how well the patient will respond to treatment.

Gender also impacts the survival rate. The five-year relative survival rate in case of women suffering from mesothelioma is more than double the rate seen in case of man. According to recent research, data, man have 6.5% five-year survival rate and women on the other hand, have 15.4% survival rate. Routine health check-ups can be crucial in earlier diagnosis and that's why women have a higher survival rate because they visit the physician about 20% more than men.

Location

If the survival rate of mesothelioma is based on the location of the tumour, it may be misinterpreted because it can be mistaken for other types of cancer. When a patient is diagnosed correctly before it can reach the later stages, it can be cured. In case of pleural patients the survival rate in the second year after diagnosis reduce considerably (11%). But the survival rate for peritoneal patients at the same time may only show a small reduction (35%). Detection of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma is very difficult during the early stage for effective treatment of the problem.

Survival rates after surgical treatment

It is seen that patient undergoing surgery to remove the tumour have a higher rate of survival because the surgery can reduce the ability of the tumour to spread. Patients who are in the stage 1 or 2 can generally go for different types of surgeries available for mesothelioma patients.

Cell type and histology

You will find three histological cells types or variations in mesothelioma- epithelioid, biphasic and sarcomatoid. Cell type is important in deciding the survival rates. Patients suffering from epithelioid mesothelioma will have the best survival rate. It is so because this type response better to treatment. On the other hand, sarcomatoid type has the poorest survival rate. It spreads quickly and so it is difficult to treat effectively. Survival rates are not consistent in case of biphasic cell types.

Stage

Survival rates that are calculated based on the stage of mesothelioma are important. There is a relationship between mesothelioma stage and patient lights span. If the disease is diagnosed at the early stages, the patient will have better survival rates. However, mesothelioma is generally diagnosed in the later stages because it does not show any specific symptoms. At a later stage, the survival rates are lower because the disease is more advance and difficult to treat during this stage.

References
1. Malignant Mesothelioma
2. Mesothelioma