Certain chemicals and materials are carcinogens because medical researchers have directly connected them to human cancer. Asbestos is a known human carcinogen with links to multiple types of cancer, and there is no accepted safe level of exposure. Anyone who handles asbestos could end up sick as a result.
Cervical and lung cancer can sometimes result from asbestos exposure. However, the type of cancer that has the strongest association with a specified is mesothelioma. Mesothelioma or cancer that begins in the lining of the organs takes many years to develop and will eventually spread aggressively to other parts of the body.
What is the prognosis for someone with mesothelioma?
The five-year survival rate is quite low
When doctors talk about the likely outcome for someone recently diagnosed with cancer, they look at the statistical likelihood of that patient achieving remission or surviving for five years after their diagnosis. Unfortunately, there are no treatments that successfully help those with mesothelioma achieve remission, so the five-year survival rate is really the basis for establishing someone’s prognosis.
The stage of the mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis determines someone’s chances of surviving five years later. Overall, the average five-year survival rate for all cases of mesothelioma is 12%. Those with localized mesothelioma have a 24% five-year survival rate, while those with widespread or metastasized mesothelioma have only a 7% five-year survival rate.
Getting a prompt diagnosis and the best treatment possible can improve the prognosis and quality of life for those diagnosed with mesothelioma. Pursuing a claim against an employer or an asbestos bankruptcy trust is often necessary for those who have mesothelioma because of asbestos exposure.