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Mesothelioma Survival Rates

About 40 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients in the U.S. are still alive one year after diagnosis. About 20 percent survive after two years, and approximately 8 percentsurvive after three years. The National Cancer Institute's SEER program reports five-year survival rates ranging between 5 and 10 percent

About 40 percent of patients with mesothelioma survive the first year after diagnosis. That survival rate depends on many factors, including age, cancer stage, cancer type, race and gender. Long-term survivors attribute their success to treatment from a mesothelioma specialist, alternative medicine and nutritional changes.

How is survival rate measured?

Researchers describe the mesothelioma survival rate in several ways. They usually talk about it in terms of one-year survival, the percentage of people who survive for a year after diagnosis. Through their studies, they also look at longer survival times, including the number of people who live two years, three years and five years.

Average mesothelioma survival rates

About 40 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients in the U.S. are still alive one year after diagnosis. About 20 percent survive after two years, and approximately 8 percent survive after three years. The National Cancer Institute's SEER program reports five-year survival rates ranging between 5 and 10 percent.


Age

Overall, older mesothelioma patients have a much lower possibility of surviving than younger ones. More than 50 percent of patients diagnosed before the age of 50 live one year, but less than 33 percent of patients 75 or older live the same amount of time. Rates are similar for long-term survival. Younger patients have a 20 percent chance of surviving a decade; older individuals have a 1 percent chance.

Mesothelioma Deaths by Age Range: 1999-2005

Mesothelioma Deaths by Age Range 

This difference is largely because younger patients are eligible for more intensive treatments likesurgery. Older individuals may not be candidates for these procedures because of poor overall health or a high risk of complications.
Elderly people often manage one or more chronic medical conditions in addition to mesothelioma, such as diabetes, heart disease and COPD. The likelihood of surviving mesothelioma is better for younger people because they are less likely to have serious conditions that may make them ineligible for effective treatment options.
It's rare when someone younger than 50 receives a diagnosis of asbestos-related cancer. The average age at diagnosis is 60, and from 1999 to 2010, nearly 80 percent of Americans who died from mesothelioma were older than 65.

Mesothelioma Survival Rates by Age

Mesothelioma survival rates by age line graph.
When researchers break down the percentage of people with mesothelioma who will be alive a certain time after diagnosis by age, it's easy to see that the long-term outlook is best for patients diagnosed at a young age. National Cancer institute data show that while 43 percent of patients younger than 45 survive five years after diagnosis, that drops sharply — to 14.3 percent — for patients between the ages of 45 and 54. Overall, 5.7 percent of patients ages 65 and older at diagnosis survive after five years.

Beating the Odds: Odell R.

Odell Rankins

It took considerable persuasion from his granddaughter to convince Navy veteran and pleural mesothelioma survivor Odell to travel to Boston in 2012 to see surgeon Dr. Abraham Lebenthal. Odell, from Mississippi, is now back on his farm and thriving after complex surgery that has extended his life.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare, asbestos-related cancer that forms on the thin protective tissues that cover the lungs and abdomen. A combined approach to treatment is helping people improve their survival and ease symptoms.

Did you know that doctors diagnose an estimated 3,000 cases of mesothelioma annually in the U.S.? The majority of those are traced to job-related exposures to asbestos. Most people have the pleural type, which forms on the lining of the lungs, but the cancer can also form around the lining of the abdomen or heart.
Although asbestos use in this country has dropped in recent decades, a steady number of people are still getting mesothelioma. That's because this cancer can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure before symptoms appear, and an oncologist can make a definitive diagnosis.
While there's no cure for mesothelioma and the outlook is generally poor, researchers have made significant progress in understanding the cancer and developing new treatment options and alternative therapies.
How Does Asbestos Cause Cancer?

Mesothelioma typically develops after people are exposed to asbestos in the workplace – in industrial settings, shipyards, auto repair shops, old houses, schools and public buildings. While it usually takes long-term exposure to put someone at risk, short-term and one-time exposures are also known to cause this cancer.
Body Inhaling Asbestos
Asbestos inhalation occurs
Asbestos Fibers lodging in the mesothelial tissue
Fibers lodge in mesothelial tissue
 Asbestos Fibers in the mesothelial tissue
Fibers cause cellular damage, resulting in tumor growth
Fast Fact: 70-80 percent of people with mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos at work.

Asbestos can cause health complications when work duties or other activities disturb asbestos-containing materials and release fibers into the air. When we inhale or swallow these microscopic fibers, our bodies struggle to get rid of them. Over decades, the trapped fibers trigger biological changes that can cause inflammation, scarring and genetic damage that sometimes leads to cancer. The lengthy gap between asbestos exposure and diagnosis is called the latency period.
Asbestos fibers most often become trapped in the lining of the lungs, called the pleura. They also can collect in the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum) or heart (pericardium). Once fibers cause biological damage, the stage is set for the decades-long latency period for the development of malignant

Benign tumors aren’t cancerous. They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant tumors are cancerous and are made up of cells that grow out of control. Cells in these tumours can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes cells move away from the original (primary) cancer site and spread to other organs and bones where they can continue to grow and form another tumour at that site. This is known as metastasis or secondary cancer. Metastases keep the name of the original cancer location. e.g. pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver is still called pancreatic cancer.

They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells inbenign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors arecancerous and are made up of cells that grow out of control. Cells in these tumourscan invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is the name given to the cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen. This type of cancer affects the lining that protects the contents of the abdomen and which also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly.

The peritoneum is made of two parts, the visceral and parietal peritoneum. The visceral peritoneum covers the internal organs and makes up most of the outer layer of the intestinal tract. Covering the abdominal cavity is the parietal peritoneum.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.
Diagnosis

Peritoneal mesothelioma has two clinical types which can be differentiated with the help of CT findings, the "dry" type and the "wet". It is classified as "dry" when there are multiple tiny masses or one dominant localized mass and generally little or no ascites. The "wet" type has widespread small nodules, no dominant mass and a presence of ascites. If fluid is found, the process of eliminating it is through paracentesis; however the analysis of this fluid has limited diagnostic significance. Normally, a definitive diagnosis may be obtained through tissue biopsy.
Causes

Asbestos is a known cause of peritoneal mesothelioma in humans.

A 1975 study of three small villages in central Cappadocia, Turkey—Tuzköy, Karain and Sarıhıdır—found that peritoneal mesothelioma was causing 50% of all deaths. Initially, this was attributed to erionite, a zeolite mineral with similar properties to asbestos, but detailed epidemiological investigation demonstrated that the substance causes the disease mostly in families with a genetic predisposition to mineral fiber carcinogenesis. The studies are being extended to other parts of the region.

Summary Of Mesothelioma

The tissue that lines your lungs, stomach, heart, and other organs is called mesothelium. Mesothelioma is a tumor of that tissue. It usually starts in the lungs, but can also start in the abdomen or other organs. It can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer.)

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare but serious type of cancer. Most people who get it have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. After being exposed to asbestos, it usually takes a long time for the disease to form.

Symptoms include
Trouble breathing
Pain under the rib cage
Pain, swelling, or lumps in the abdomen
Weight loss for no known reason

Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. Your doctor uses imaging tests and a biopsy to make the diagnosis. Malignant mesothelioma is often found when it is advanced. This makes it harder to treat. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.

What Is Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer?

Diagnosing mesothelioma

Men and women discussing mesothelioma
This section tells you about the tests used to diagnose mesothelioma. There is information about seeing your GP, going to hospital and the tests you may have to diagnose any possible spread of your cancer.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen.

Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause and risk factor for mesothelioma.

Making a correct mesothelioma diagnosis is particularly difficult for doctors because the disease often presents with symptoms that mimic other common ailments. There is currently no known cure for mesothelioma, but treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy can help to improve the typical mesothelioma prognosis and even increase one's life expectancy.

Three major types of mesothelioma exist and they are differentiated by the organs primarily affected. Pleural mesothelioma (affecting the lung’s protective lining in the chest cavity) represents about three-quarters of all mesothelioma incidence. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the abdominal cavity, and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the cardiac cavity, comprise the remainder.

Mesothelioma CancerGet This Image For Your Site
There are three recognized mesothelioma cell types. Between 50% and 70% of all mesotheliomas are of the epithelial variety. While prognosis is generally poor, it is considered less aggressive than sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma, which comprise the remainder of cell-type diagnoses.

The cavities within the body encompassing the chest, abdomen, and heart are surrounded by a membrane of cells known as the mesothelium. Mesothelial cells assist in general organ functions. The mesothelium is particularly important to organs that are commonly in motion, such as expansion or contraction of the lungs, stomach, or heart. Lubrication from the mesothelial cells allows free range of motion within the body. The mesothelium of the chest, abdomen, and cardiac cavity are called the pleura, the peritoneum, and the pericardium, respectively. Each of these groupings of mesothelial cells is extremely critical to the functions of the body structures which they encompass.

Malignancies (cancerous tumors) occurring within the mesothelial membranes are known as malignant mesothelioma, or simply mesothelioma. Benign tumors of the mesothelium are known to occur, but are much more rare than malignant mesothelial tumors.

While tumors of the mesothelium were first recognized in the late 18th century, it was not until the middle of the 20th century that this particular cancer was studied and examined with more detail. It was at this time when suspicions of the cancer’s causal relationship with asbestos exposure became more substantiated. A joint research venture through the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of the Witswater and Johannesburg General Hospital in South Africa provided the most compelling evidence of the nexus between asbestos exposure and the development of pleural mesothelioma.

Incidence of mesothelioma is still quite rare, with only 2,500-3,000 diagnoses in the United States each year. There was a spike in reported diagnoses between 1970 and 1984, which has been attributed to the latency period between diagnosis and the height of industrial exposures, which occurred roughly 40-60 years prior to this time. While exposure was common across the United States in nearly all industries, it was particularly prevalent in the WWII-era military industrial cycle, including navy shipyards.

Although this cancer is much more common in men over the age of 60, mesothelioma in women and children has been documented as well. Mesothelioma causes for diagnosis in women and children are mainly attributed to secondary exposure to asbestos, as it was not uncommon for men to bring asbestos back into the home on their bodies or clothing.

Resources for Mesothelioma Patients and their Families

Request a Free Mesothelioma Treatment Guide
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Sign up for Our Mesothelioma Treatment Alert
Speak with a 10 Year Mesothelioma Survivor
Financial Assistance Available to Help with Treatment Costs
Mesothelioma is diagnosed through a comprehensive combination of biopsy and imaging scans.

Mesothelioma can be a difficult malignancy to diagnose because the symptoms of the disease closely resemble other respiratory conditions, and because the pathology can be very difficult to distinguish from adenocarcinoma of the lung. For these reasons, misdiagnosis is not uncommon in mesothelioma patients. Symptoms of mesothelioma include chest pain, chronic cough, effusions of the chest and abdomen, and the presence of blood in lung fluid.

Diagnostic surgeries, including a biopsy, will typically be required to determine the type of malignant cells that are present in the body. Typically a body imaging scan, including a magnetic resonance image (MRI), computer topography (CT scan), and/or positron emission tomography (PET), will be required to determine the extent and location of the disease. Given how rare mesothelioma is, a formal staging classification exists only for pleural mesothelioma.

While mesothelioma is typically advanced at diagnosis, treatment options are available.

Mesothelioma, while certainly an aggressive disease, is a manageable malignancy. While there is no cure for the cancer, mesothelioma treatment options may potentially include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. A combination of Alimta® and cisplatin is currently the only FDA-approved chemotherapy regimen, though several clinical trials are currently in progress utilizing other drugs including gemcitabine and Onconase®, that may lead to new treatment options that provide a benefit for patients.

Radiation therapy is also utilized, but typically in conjunction with other treatment methods like surgery and chemotherapy. Surgical resection of mesothelioma is possible in early-stage-diagnosed patients. Diagnostic and palliative procedures such as thoracentesis and pleurodesis are also commonly performed in patients with malignant mesothelioma in order to minimize cancer-related symptoms. Alternative therapies have also been used effectively by many mesothelioma patients to assist in managing symptoms of the disease and conventional treatments.

Although the state of Washington is headquarters to some of the largest corporations in the nation, such as Microsoft and Starbucks, it’s also known as for its large presence of job sites with occupations associated with asbestos. These job sites have been present for decades in Washington, and in the past, relied on heavy usage of asbestos, which has linked with an array of illnesses, including malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis.
If you or a loved have asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma, you may be eligible for a large amount of compensation. Currently, there is over $30 billion in asbestos trust funds, set up for those who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness. We invite you to use our Asbestos Attorney Locator Tool to find a top mesothelioma lawyer in your area.
Washington State
We offer help to asbestos victims in all cities and towns in Washington, including:
Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Kent, Everett, Renton, Yakima, Federal Way, Spokane Valley, Kirkland, Bellingham, Kennewick, Auburn, Pasco, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, South Hill, Shoreline, Richland, Sammamish, Burien, Olympia, Lacey, Edmonds, Bremerton, Puyallup, Parkland, Longview, Lynnwood, Bothell, Issaquah, Wenatchee, Mount Vernon, University Place, Walla Walla, Pullman, Des Moines, Lake Stevens, SeaTac, Spanaway, Graham, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Cottage Lake, Bainbridge Island, Orchards, Oak Harbor, Silver Firs, Eastmont, Kenmore, Salmon Creek, Moses Lake, Camas, Mukilteo, Mountlake Terrac,e Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Hazel Dell, Silverdale, Tukwila, Fairwood Cdp, Five Corners, Port Angeles, Frederickson, Covington, Mill Creek, Arlington, Tumwater, Ellensburg, Battle Ground, Bonney Lake, Monroe, Bothell West, North Lynnwood, Centralia, Aberdeen, Mill Creek East, Bryn Mawr-Skyway, Sunnyside, Anacortes, Martha Lake, Camano, White Center, Washougal, Elk Plain, Lakeland North, Fort Lewis, East Wenatchee, Lakeland South, Lake Forest Park, West Richland, Port Orchard, Lynden, Artondale, East Renton Highlands, Ferndale, Lake Tapps, Klahanie, and more.
Job Sites and Occupations Associated with Asbestos in Washington
Washington lies on the Pacific coast where it is home to several ports and shipyards. In fact, several of the state’s major cities, including Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia, rely on ports and shipyards for a good portion of their business. The U.S. Navy has several facilities in the state as well, including Bremerton’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the adjacent Naval Base Kitsap. The state also has a large lumber and paper manufacturing industry, as well as aircraft factories, metal-making plants, oil refineries, and power generation plants.
Though many of these facilities drive much of Washington’s economy, those that have been around since the 19th and 20th Centuries are job sites which were heavy users of asbestos. For example, The Boeing Company, one of the country’s largest aeronautical manufacturers, was founded in Seattle in 1916 and has several aircraft factories in Washington. Boeing used asbestos in its manufacturing plants for more than 50 years, thus exposing many of its employees to the toxic silicates.
Other asbestos-heavy job sites include paper mills owned by the former Crown Zellerbach manufacturing company (now Georgia-Pacific), the former Todd Dry Dock & Construction Company shipyards in Tacoma, and the Hanford Nuclear Site, which began operating in 1943. Asbestos was often mixed into cement to make buildings more fire-resistant. As a result,  workers in cement plants throughout the state came into contact with asbestos regularly.
Other Washington job sites where asbestos exposure is known to have occurred include:

Fairchild Air Force Base (Spokane)

Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill (Camas)

Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) at Hanford Nuclear Site (Hanford/White Bluffs)

Columbia Aluminum Products (Vancouver)

Dow Chemical Co./Rohm & Haas Chemicals LLC (Elma)

Alcoa/Intalco Works Aluminum Plant (Ferndale)

Alcoa-Northwest Alloys – Longview Aluminum Plant (Longview)

Alcoa-Wenatchee Aluminum Plant (Malaga)

Lockheed Shipbuilding & Construction Company (Harbor Island)

Occupations that are known to have exposed workers in Washington to asbestos include:
Shipyard workers

Electricians
Insulation installers
Pipefitters
Aviation mechanics
Automobile mechanics
Brake specialists
Construction workers
Paper mill workers
Navy and Merchant Marine seamen
Electronics operators or maintenance specialists
Boiler workers
Petroleum industry workers
Engineers
Cement plant workers
Firefighters
Aluminum plant workers
Plumbers
Factory workers
Nuclear plant workers
Linotype operators
Asbestos Stats and Facts in Washington

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Washington ranked 13th in the country for mesothelioma deaths between 1999-2005, with an age adjusted rate. During the same time period, it ranked 11th in total deaths with over 500 mesothelioma fatalities. In 2008, it ranked 10th in the nation.

Franklin, Kitsap, and Mason counties have the highest mesothelioma rates in the state.
Franklin and Pierces counties are among the top 20 counties in the nation for the highest mesothelioma rates.

By 2008, the total mesothelioma deaths in Washington reached 778, and the asbestosis death rate reached 254, making a total of 1,032 asbestos-related deaths.

Washington State’s population had an increase of over 50% between 1980-2000, with the majority residing in the Puget Sound area. Most victims of asbestos-related diseases in the last 25 years lived in the same area.

In 2010, Washington State added more strict regulations to asbestos use when it banned asbestos use in vehicles brakes. The phaseout of asbestos materials in brakes will start in 2014.
An 84-year old Vashon, Washington resident, Roger Hammet, won an asbestos-related lawsuit in 2010 of $1.4 million. Hammet was a former employee of a north end ferry when he was exposed to asbestos. He later developed terminal cancer.

Asbestos Laws in Washington

Laws and regulations for asbestos abatement and removal in the state of Washington is administered by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. The state has written several regulations regarding asbestos removal as well as training those that must inspect asbestos sites, and preparing individuals for asbestos removal.

Before a contractor is allowed to build, the site must be inspected in order to asses if asbestos material has the potential to disturb and cause a hazard. As a result, the contractor must have a written asbestos report from the owner, or the owner’s agent, prior to construction.
Inspections must be done by state-certified asbestos inspectors who received their licensing in the state of Washington.

Any person involved in the removal of asbestos material must contact the state, in writing, at least 10 days prior to the removal of the materials.

The state does exempt homeowners from from being certified. If asbestos material is being removed from a personal residence, the owner must use certified contractors in the removal process. Full disclosure is required and must be presented to the contractors.
For further information and additional resources regarding asbestos removal, contact the Washington state L&I at 1-800-423-7233

Treatment Centers in Washington

When dealing with mesothelioma and other types of asbestos-related illnesses, it’s important to make sure you get the best possible treatment available, from physicians and care centers that specialize in these forms of cancer. There are are currently two treatment centers in Washington that are backed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI):

Swedish Medical Center Cancer Institute: Located in Seattle, the Swedish Medical Center Cancer Institute (SMCCI) is a non-profit care center with special focus on mesothelioma. The center’s team of mesothelioma specialists and physicians, led by Dr. Eric Vallieres, is considered among the best in region. The treatment team focuses on individualized care and trimodal treatment. The trimodality approach emphasizes a combination of  chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. As a result, many patients with mesothelioma have gone on to live several years after treatment.

University of Washington Medical Center: Similar to SMCCI, the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) focuses on mesothelioma and individualized treatment according to each patient’s unique situation. In a partnership with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, UWMC provides patients with comprehensive options.  It was featured in the 2011 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals.”

Washington Statute of Limitations on Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lawsuits
The statute of limitations for asbestos cases in Washington falls under Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 4.16.005 et seq., which mandates that the lawsuit must be filed within three years from the date that the asbestos-related illness was diagnosed or within three years from the time period in which it should have been, within reason, discovered. Asbestos wrongful death cases must be filed within three years from the date of the victim’s death.