Mesothelioma survival rates and solution

Mesothelioma survival rates and solution

So very complicated severity
They might not be indicative of your diagnosis. Survival rates are averages based on the combined experiences of large numbers of mesothelioma patients in the past. This means patients who refused treatment or had worst case scenarios drag the average survival rate down.

They are just a guideline. Doctors use these statistics as a tool or a guideline to develop a treatment plan. They also use them to explain a patient’s prognosis and how the disease might affect their quality of life in the future. Survival rates don’t take into account an individual’s diagnosis.

They aren’t set in stone. Survival rates can change as both new and standard mesothelioma treatments are developed in clinical trials.

A survival rate refers to the percentage of people who survive their diagnosis after a certain amount of time. Mesothelioma survival rates are expressed as a percentage of patients who survive their diagnosis after a certain interval of time (usually 1, 2 or 5 years).

Five-year survival rates are the most common ways to express rates of survival in cancer patients.

The 5-year survival rate for mesothelioma is between 5 and 10 percent, meaning that 5-10 percent of patients diagnosed with mesothelioma live at least 5 years.

Looking at survival rates can give patients and families a bigger picture. It’s important to remember that these rates are only a piece of the picture. Only a mesothelioma specialist can give you a truly accurate idea of your prognosis. Some patients who exploit all possible treatment options often have 5-year survival rates closer to 30 percent.

Treatments and Survival Rates

Surgery: Overall survival rates typically improve after specialists perform surgery on patients with mesothelioma. Successful curative surgery can remove the bulk of a mesothelioma tumor, slowing down its aggressive spread to other parts of the body (metastasis). According to a large international study, the survival rate for patients who just had curative surgery doubled from an average of 1 year to just under 2 years.



Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP): The extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a surgery for patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Patients who’ve had an EPP experienced an increased survival rate of up to about 27.5 months.

When paired with other forms of treatment, like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, an EPP can improve survival rates even more. A number of studies have shown that a combination of EPP surgery with chemotherapy and radiation therapy increased survival times to 2 years and 5 months.

Pleurectomy with Decortication (P/D): The median life expectancy for patients who undergo a pleurectomy with decortication (P/D) is about 20 months, just over a year and a half. Like the EPP, a P/D can also be combined with chemotherapy or radiation therapy for improved results. Patients who had a P/D with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) had better survival rates than those who just had a P/D.

Cytoreduction with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)

Cytoreduction with HIPEC is a treatment specialists use for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. The combination of cytoreductive surgery and heated chemotherapy has shown drastic improvements in survival rates for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. This procedure has improved the median survival rate of patients with peritoneal mesothelioma from 1 year to 5 years and beyond


Some patients choose to ignore survival rates because the rates only give an idea of an individual’s prognosis. If you feel the same, talk to someone from our Patient Help Team who can help you explore ways to improve your prognosis