Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer caused due to excessive exposure to asbestos. Its prognosis is dependent on the stage of the disease and the age of the patient. Apart from this, there is also the factor of health condition of the patient and the kind of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which affects approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people in the United States each year. Retired employees who have worked at known asbestos sites such as powerhouses, oil refineries, power plants, shipyards, and construction sites should seek immediate diagnosis to determine if they have developed this deadly disease. Mesothelioma life expectancy in retired employees varies and depends on numerous factors.
Chemotherapy so far, is the only treatment to improve the survival rate expectancy for mesothelioma patients. This therapy has shown significant improvement from a life expectancy of 10 months to a little over 13 months. Chemotherapy along with other aggressive treatments and surgeries is showing remarkable results.
In evaluating the life expectancy of mesothelioma patient, you need to take into consideration number of factors as every patient has a completely different case. Because scientists are working overtime to come up with a new treatment routine, there is no surprise that life expectancy of mesothelioma patients are increasing. For mesothelioma patients, the average life expectancy is in the range of five to eighteen months.
Mesothelioma affects thousands of families in the US every year. Most people are diagnosed well into the later years of their lives because the disease is able to hide in the body for anywhere from 20 to 50 years. This means that most patients are grandparents by the time they are diagnosed. It also means that when they are diagnosed, they are already terminal in most cases and the family members need know how to deal with the disease and impending loss of a relative.