Mesothelioma Prognosis

Between 2000 and 3000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed annually in the United States. Once the patient receives a diagnosis of cancer, his or her physician is likely to discuss prognosis, or can the course and outcome of the patient.
Factors determining the prognosis
Most times a mesothelioma diagnosis is made when the cancer has reached an advanced stage, since it usually takes a lengthy amount of time after exposure to asbestos victims before most begin to show symptoms associated with the disease.
In addition to this, even when the symptoms of this cancer over time the superficial, often resemble symptoms of general diseases such as pneumonia, influenza and some other lung diseases. This fact, together with the delayed onset of symptoms makes the diagnosis of mesothelioma very difficult.
Thus, as a result of these factors, the prognosis for most patients is poor, but many doctors recommend treatment options such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy to help fight the disease.
The factors that affect prognosis include:
A} The stage of cancer:
Cancer progression medically classified as stages. The steps go from one phase to the fourth stage. The higher the setting, the more advanced cancer. Unfortunately stages, once the cancer has reached three to four stages, treatment options are limited and less effective. In the fourth stage of cancer, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and the tumor often deeply eaten in several key organs and tissues in the body. Stage 4 is not suitable for surgery. In general, the higher the cancer stage the worse the prognosis.
B} The histological type of cancer:
Histology refers to the basic cell structure and type of cancer. Histologically, there are four types of mesothelioma: a} epithelial, sarcomatoid b} {c}} two-phase mixture {d}} desmoplastic sarcomatoid variant epithelial mesothelioma has a better prognosis than other types and how has the worst prognosis sarcomatoid.
C} The age and general condition of the victim
Malignant mesothelioma is often diagnosed in people over age 55, although there may be exceptions. So some of the victims who have developed chronic diseases associated with aging, such as diabetes and hypertension and worsens their prognosis.
D} The size of the tumor
E} The location of the tumor and whether the tumor is operable {if} can be surgically removed
F} The scope of other symptoms, including fluid in the lungs or abdomen.
G} or not the patient is a smoker.
When talking about the survival rate of cancer often refers to the "survival rate five years." The survival rate at five years is the percentage of patients who live at least five years after being diagnosed. According to the American Cancer Society, the rate of survival rate of five-year relative survival rate for mesothelioma is approximately 10%. The number has improved over the last five years from 9% reported in late 2002. In general, said the median survival time of the last five years was 10 to 11 months after diagnosis.
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