A patient’s overall health status and age greatly affects the prognosis. Someone who is diagnosed at an earlier age and is in good shape may have an easier time withstanding treatment than someone who has pre-existing health problems. The American Cancer Society reports that 75 percent of those diagnosed with mesothelioma are 55 or older. Statistics also show that men are five times more likely to develop mesothelioma than women.
When a mesothelioma patient is initially diagnosed, doctors first evaluate how far the cancer has spread. Cancer that has not metastasized to other areas of the body gives physicians a lot more treatment options and improves a patient’s prognosis dramatically. Pleural mesothelioma patients have a poorer prognosis if they are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, inability to perform daily tasks, weight loss, a low red blood cell count, a high white blood cell count, and high blood levels of a substance called LDH (lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme). These symptoms are often signs of cancer that has developed into the later stages.
Pleural mesothelioma patients who experience these symptoms usually receive a prognosis ranging between six and 12 months. However, many have overcome such a poor prognosis and have prolonged their life in a multitude of ways. Patients without these symptoms have a much better chance of fighting the cancer and improving their prognosis to more than one year.
If you would like to understand more about prognostic factors, please feel free to call 1-800-ASBESTOS to speak with a Patient Advocate who can further explain them and mail you additional information on this topic
When a mesothelioma patient is initially diagnosed, doctors first evaluate how far the cancer has spread. Cancer that has not metastasized to other areas of the body gives physicians a lot more treatment options and improves a patient’s prognosis dramatically. Pleural mesothelioma patients have a poorer prognosis if they are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, inability to perform daily tasks, weight loss, a low red blood cell count, a high white blood cell count, and high blood levels of a substance called LDH (lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme). These symptoms are often signs of cancer that has developed into the later stages.
Pleural mesothelioma patients who experience these symptoms usually receive a prognosis ranging between six and 12 months. However, many have overcome such a poor prognosis and have prolonged their life in a multitude of ways. Patients without these symptoms have a much better chance of fighting the cancer and improving their prognosis to more than one year.
If you would like to understand more about prognostic factors, please feel free to call 1-800-ASBESTOS to speak with a Patient Advocate who can further explain them and mail you additional information on this topic
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