Mesothelioma prognosis

Prognosis in this disease is difficult to assess consistently because there is great variability in the time before diagnosis and the rate of disease progression. In large retrospective series of pleural mesothelioma patients, important prognostic factors were found to be stage, age, performance status, and histology. Various surgical procedures may be possible in selected patients, and they provide long-term survival without cure. For patients treated with aggressive surgical approaches, factors associated with improved long-term survival include epithelial histology, negative lymph nodes, and negative surgical margins. For those patients treated with aggressive surgical approaches, nodal status is an important prognostic factor. Median survival has been reported as 16 months for patients with malignant pleural disease and 5 months for patients with extensive disease. In some instances the tumor grows through the diaphragm making the site of origin difficult to assess. Cautious interpretation of treatment results with this disease is imperative because of the selection differences among series. Effusions, both pleural and peritoneal, represent major symptomatic problems for at least 66% of the patients. (Refer to the PDQ summary on Cardiopulmonary Syndromes for more information.) A history of asbestos exposure is reported in about 70% to 80% of all cases of mesothelioma.

• Malignant mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the pleura (the thin layer of tissue that lines the chest cavity and covers the lungs) or the peritoneum (the thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen and covers most of the organs in the abdomen). This summary is about malignant mesothelioma of the pleura.
• Anatomy of the respiratory system, showing the trachea and both lungs and their lobes and airways. Lymph nodes and the diaphragm are also shown. Oxygen is inhaled into the lungs and passes through the thin membranes of the alveoli and into the bloodstream (see inset). =

See also

• overview of Mesothelioma
• Mesothelioma diagnosis
• Mesothelioma symptoms
• Pleural mesothelioma
• Mesothelioma treatment
• Malignant mesothelioma
• Mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer
• Peritoneal mesothelioma
• Mesothelioma Staging
• Mesothelioma Asbestos
• Cause of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma prognosis Resources
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