Sunday, March 3, 2013

Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Mesothelioma life expectancy varies greatly from patient to patient based on a number of individual factors and circumstances. In general, life expectancy for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma is poor. Mesothelioma cancer is an aggressive malignancy for which symptoms typically will not manifest until the cancer reaches its later stages. While treatment is available for most patients, doctors and cancer specialists will typically reserve aggressive therapies for those patients whose life expectancy is truly likely to be extended through these methods.

While mesothelioma life expectancy is innately tied to prognostic and histopathological factors, a patient’s eligibility to undergo aggressive treatment is also tied to their ability to manage the side effects of these therapies. In many cases, patients who integrate holistic therapy and alternative methods of cancer treatment into traditional therapy regimens have lived far longer than their original prognosis would dictate.