In evaluating the life expectancy of mesothelioma patient, you need to take into consideration number of factors as every patient has a completely different case. Because scientists are working overtime to come up with a new treatment routine, there is no surprise that life expectancy of mesothelioma patients are increasing. For mesothelioma patients, the average life expectancy is in the range of five to eighteen months.
Factors you need to take into Consideration:
Disease stage
The diagnosis point
Kind of mesothelioma you are suffering from. It includes localized mesothelioma and advanced mesothelioma.
Your age
Your overall health
Kinds of treatment feasible for you
Stage of Mesothelioma Cancer
The mesothelioma cancer stage can give you a clear sign of how long you are going to live. As the mesothelioma symptoms in an initial stage are quite identical to other common ailments, there is always a possibility of mesothelioma patients not getting proper diagnosis. By the time disease is discovered, it has already entered the advanced stage which is not easy to treat and therefore much less life expectancy.
At this moment of time, there is no real cure available for mesothelioma cancer but with the help of various mesothelioma treatment routines, mesothelioma patients can increase their life expectancy especially if diagnosed early on in the piece. Contact mesothelioma centers immediately if you think that you have been exposed to asbestos. In these centers, you will get all the necessary details regarding testing for initial mesothelioma stages.
Early Detection and Aggressive Treatment
Recent study has come to the conclusion that two of the most important factors in increasing the life expectancy of mesothelioma patient are early detection and aggressive treatment. With aggressive treatment, life expectancy of mesothelioma patients can be increased by more than two years. For early detection of mesothelioma, it is quite important that you do not wait for symptoms to start making its presence felt.
Latency period and Mesothelioma
Unlike other forms of cancers in which symptoms surface quickly, mesothelioma symptoms can lay dormant in the body for more than thirty years. This long latency period quite a number of times result in a delayed diagnosis. In lots of cases, the diagnosis is made when the disease has reached advanced stage. This makes the whole mesothelioma treatment exercise ineffective. Patients diagnosed in advanced stages are going to get palliative treatments which are much more comfortable in nature but are not that effective in curing the disease.
Smoking
According to latest research, smoking can reduce the life expectancy rate of people diagnosed with mesothelioma. Therefore, it is quite important that you get rid of your smoking habits once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Treatment options for Mesothelioma Patients
With regard to treatment options, you can go for radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Before taking any decision, it is always better that you interact with your health care provider first.
