Is There a Cure for Mesothelioma?
A mesothelioma diagnosis often does not occur until the final stages of the disease. There can be a delay in a mesothelioma diagnosis because mesothelioma symptoms are often the same as those for other diseases, and because mesothelioma is a much rarer type of cancer.
There is no cure for mesothelioma.
Living with mesothelioma
Current medical treatments for patients living with mesothelioma are mostly geared toward palliative care, which makes the patient more comfortable by reducing pain and discomfort through radiation, chemotherapy, and in some cases surgery. Instead of a cure, the treatment goals are improving the quality of life and prolonging life. The only exception would be if the mesothelioma were discovered in its early stages.
Mesothelioma life expectancy
The life expectancy for mesothelioma victims varies depending on the age of the patient, lifestyle, the stage of cancer, unique factors of the individual case, how the patient responds to treatment, and alternative treatments used.
Below are some mesothelioma life expectancy statistics:
- The majority of mesothelioma patients live four to 18 months after initial diagnosis
- Less than 10 percent of mesothelioma patients live two years
- A smaller percentage of patients live three years
- An even smaller percentage lives six years
- One percent lives longer than six years
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), 75 percent of mesothelioma patients are men over the age of 65. The ACS reports that the five-year survival rate—the percentage of patents that live five years or more after diagnosis—may be improving. Also, survival statistics that one out of 10 mesothelioma patients live 10 years after diagnosis are not from recent statistical analysis. The ACS reminds patients statistics are not accurate predictions of what may occur with a particular case.
Hope for mesothelioma cure
Clinical trials are ongoing to find a cure for mesothelioma. A clinical trial involves research-based test treatment on a small number of patients. Penn Medicine, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, published a new study that showed promise for mesothelioma survivors. Genetically engineered human immune cells—called T cells—were used to shrink tumors. In the study, researchers estimated that one T cell could kill 40 tumor cells.