Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops as a result of asbestos exposure in most people. Sadly, due to the type of injuries the asbestos causes over time, scar tissues build and cancer is likely to form. Mesothelioma is rare, but it is a devastating diagnosis.
The survival rate for those with diagnosed mesothelioma is not going to be the same for all people, but averages have shown that localized mesothelioma has a five-year survival rate of around 18%, whereas regional has a survival rate of 11%. Distant SEER stage mesothelioma has a five-year survival rate of 7%. Someone who has all three SEER stages of mesothelioma has a 9% survival rate at five years.
The numbers above apply to the stage of cancer people are in when it’s first diagnosed. So, only the first diagnosis counts toward the five-year survival rate, even if the individual survives five years and then develops it again in the future.
The good news is that people with mesothelioma have more options today than they did in the past, so they may be able to survive longer than what these numbers suggest. The survival rates also don’t consider other aspects of your diagnosis, such as how far the cancer has spread, the kind of mesothelioma you have and how well you’ve reacted to treatments.
Our website has more on mesothelioma and what you should know as someone with a new diagnosis. There may be ways for you to obtain compensation for the diagnosis you’ve received as a result of exposure to asbestos in the workplace.