Mesothelioma Prognosis and Factors That Affect It

Mesothelioma Prognosis Overview
The nature of mesothelioma makes prognosis extremely unfavorable. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is developed some 25 to 50 years after inhalation of asbestos or similar substances such as erionite. This long latency period and the location of the disease makes diagnosis and detection of the disease difficult and any mesothelioma prognosis is therefore usually low. The disease develops in the mesothelium, the thin lining of several of the body’s organs, including the lung, heart, abdomen and testicles. The long time it takes for the development of mesothelioma cancer means the tumors are usually fully developed and no longer localized by the time the disease is diagnosed. After diagnosis, the prognosis for mesothelioma is affected by the physical health of the patient which will determine how well they can stand up to the rigorous mesothelioma treatment; the ability of the patient to access mesothelioma ciinics and the stage at which the mesothelioma is detected.
Mesothelioma Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of someone diagnosed with mesothelioma is usually dependent on several factors, the most important of which is how soon the deadly cancer is detected. The earlier the detection, the quicker treatment can be administered that can affect the mesothelioma prognosis. Most patients are usually 60 years old or older and sometimes suffering from some other condition or disease that may weaken them and make them less able to withstand the demanding mesothelioma tests and treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The type of mesothelioma also affects the life expectancy and bear in mind that there is no known mesothelioma cure. To give an idea of how terminal mesothelioma is, the average life expectancy after mesothelioma diagnosis is 16 months and only six months if the disease is caught in an advanced stage.
Mesothelioma Treatment
The prognosis for any disease is determined by the level of treatment that is received and mesothelioma is no less an example. There has been great urgency over the past decades to improve treatment so as to prolong the life of mesothelioma patients. Many mesothelioma centers are located in research facilities on large universities as scientists and top mesothelioma doctors doctors seek to defeat the disease. Mesothelioma prognosis is improved if patients have access to the best treatment and mesothelioma doctors.
Mesothelioma Clinics
There are many mesothelioma clinics spread over the United States that provide targeted care for mesothelioma patients. Patients are able to access the latest researched techniques (such as photodynamic therapy and gene therapy)and can even be part of clinical trials for new techniques. Mesothelioma prognosis is improved if patients are able to access these clinics and some families even relocate to the big cities (where these mesothelioma cancer centers are usually located) in order to have access to these care centers.
Mesothelioma Stages
A patient’s prognosis depends on the stage of development of the disease. Mesothelioma of the Pleura or pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common form of mesothelioma and is the only type of mesothelioma that has a stage system. Here are the stages and what happens in each stage:
1.       Only 1 of the 2 pleural layers affected by mesothelioma.
2.       Both pleural layers affected but notably on only one side of the body.
3.       The chest wall and lymph nodes on one side of the body are now affected by mesothelioma
4.       The cancer has spread to other organs of the body and possibly to the bones and spreading to the other side of the body.
Types of Cancer Cells
There are three types of mesothelioma cancer cells and each affect a patient’s prognosis. Each type of cancer cell responds to treatment to different degrees.
1.       Epithelioid Cells are the most easily treatable and fortunately the most common.
2.       Sarcomatoid Cells are harder to treat as the put up stiff resistance to treatment.
3.       Biphasic Cells are a combination of both epithlioid and sarcomatoid cells.
Mesothelioma Prognosis
Mesothelioma prognosis is dependent on several factors including the types of treatment available that the patient can withstand, accessibility to specialist mesothelioma clinics, the stage of the disease, the type or types of mesothelioma cells, the age of the patient and the general health of the patient.

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