Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly type of cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, heart, or abdomen. Ninety percent of all cases are the result of asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose. The longer it takes to diagnose, the worse the mesothelioma prognosis may be. There are certain things that contribute to this difficulty in diagnosing the disease. The symptoms often appear as those of other, more common diseases. Therefore, mesothelioma is often diagnosed as a condition that it is not. Another reason it is hard to pinpoint is that the symptoms often do not manifest themselves for as long as 20 to 50 years after exposure, and the connection to asbestos is not made.
Prognosis
When it is determined that a patient has mesothelioma, the doctor will discuss the most likely outcome of the cancer with the patient. This is the prognosis. The mesothelioma prognosis also includes the life expectancy of the patient. Each patient’s prognosis may be different and depends on a number of factors:
· History of exposure to asbestos
· What cells are involved in the cancer
· Size and location of tumors
· The stage of the cancer
· The overall health and the age of the patient and his or her ability to tolerate and respond to treatment
· How much of the cancer has metastasized
As stated earlier, a mesothelioma prognosis can often be poor because of the amount of time that it is latent - often up to 50 years after asbestos exposure. Because of this, a diagnosis may not be made until the disease is in a late stage. In the later stages of mesothelioma, the cancer may have spread to other organs or areas away from the spot in which it manifested. Once this type of spread has occurred, the lower the chances that the treatments will work.
A favorable prognosis is more possible when the mesothelioma is detected early. Once diagnosed, the patient can improve their own prognosis by becoming familiar with all of the newest treatments and combinations of treatments and be ready to discuss them with their doctor.
The Stage of the Mesothelioma
There are four stages of mesothelioma that are ranked in order from Stage 1 to Stage 4. The cancer is staged based on where the original tumor is, its size, the number of tumors, if it has spread to the lymph nodes, and the type of cancer cells that exist. The staging affects what the mesothelioma prognosis is and, therefore, what the options for treatment are.
Each stage increases the severity of the cancer. In Stage 1 mesothelioma, the tumor is still restricted to the point of origin and surgery is a viable treatment option. As the cancer spreads, the stage of the cancer evolves, taking surgery out of the equation. When this happens, the prognosis is less favorable.
Better Prognoses Are on the Way
Ways to diagnose mesothelioma are continually being researched as well as treatment methods. These new treatments can be used in combination with the more traditional options to help cure the cancer and to make the patient more comfortable.
Quicker diagnoses and new treatments will continue to improve a patient’s mesothelioma diagnosis.
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