Mesothelioma Statistics
Mesothelioma is fairly rare. There are an estimated 2,000 to 3,000
new cases per year of mesothelioma in the United States, but this
figure appears to be increasing.
The average age at diagnosis is 50 to 70 years old. The disease
affects men 3 to 5 times more often than women. Mesothelioma is
less common in African Americans than in white Americans.
Mesothelioma is a serious disease. By the time the symptoms appear
and cancer is diagnosed, the disease is often advanced. The average
survival time is about one year. However, if the cancer is found
early and treated aggressively, almost half of the patients whose
cancer is found early reach the two-year mark, and about 20% survive
five years.
The 5-year survival rate refers to the percent of patients who
live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Many of these
patients live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis, and 5-year
rates are used to produce a standard way of discussing prognosis.
Five-year relative survival rates exclude from the calculations
patients dying of other diseases, and are considered to be a more
accurate way to describe the prognosis for patients with a particular
type and stage of cancer. Of course, 5-year survival rates are based
on patients diagnosed and initially treated more than 5 years ago.
Improvements in treatment often result in a more favorable outlook
for recently diagnosed patients.
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