Mesothelioma Survival – An Overview
Mesothelioma is a disease that is known to be initiated by long subjection to harmful asbestos particles. In this illness, malevolent cells develop in the mesothelium, a protecting lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura ( outer liner of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it could also happen in the peritoneum ( the lining of the intestinal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.
Mesothelioma survival depends upon a plethora of factors like the level of progression of the cancer, the age and health conditions, both physical and mental, of the affected individual. Experts in mesothelioma treatment and research calculate survival on a five-year scale.Among the people who have been documented to suffer from disease, only about ten percent of the total number were able to surpass the five-year target to date.
The only seen way to improve the probability of survival from mesothelioma is by way of extended and potent treatment. But response to such treatment varies from individual to individual, and so does prospects of cure and length of survival period. There are several definite parameters that rule the success of treatment. First of all, success depends on the stage at which the cancer was at the time of diagnosis. While first and second stage cases can be cured through surgery and chemotherapy, the third and fourth stage cases have little or no chances of survival.
The size of the tumor, the location in which it is formed, the level of excess fluid gathered in the abdomen or chest, the age and overall health level of the patient and the cell structure and type of cancer cells are the other important aspects that determine mesothelioma survival. There are mainly three types of mesothelioma cancer. While the first type, the pleural mesothelioma, affects the membranous sac lining the abdomen, the second, peritoneal cancer strikes the abdominal cavity and accounts to about seventy five percent and twenty percent respectively. Yet, the third form which is the pericardial is discovered to be the most lethal of all.
After studying the mesothelioma survival rates for the last few years, the healthcare community has arrived at the conclusion that this asbestos cancer is extremely lethal and incidents of mesothelioma cancer infection is escalating around the world. It has been furthermore observed that chemotherapy is the more helpful means of treatment in cases where surgery is out of the question. Nevertheless, researchers are working on new and more effective treatment strategies to counter the scary threat of this cancer, which has already harmed the lives of thousands amongst us.