Mesothelioma Patients Could be Living Longer
Thursday, October 4th, 2007For those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, new research conducted by doctors in Sweden and the U.S. shows that the life expectancy is longer than had been previously reported.
Mesothelioma is a deadly illness that is caused by exposure to asbestos and affects people from all walks of life throughout the world. However, the new findings reveal that patients who are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma may have a prognosis that’s not as grim as has been reported in the past.
Research Conducted Gives Hope
Past studies have shown that patients living with epithelial subtype mesothelioma had a median survival time of 15 months with chemotherapy treatment.
However, new research shows that some patients are able to live for about to three years while receiving treatment.
A large U.S. based multi-center trial of cisplatin, with or without premetrexed showed a survival rate of 12 months as compared to the nine months shown with cisplatin alone.
Based on the U.S. findings, mesothelioma patients are likely to die within a year.
However, recent findings in some Nordic countries have proven otherwise.
Nordic Research and Findings
According to scientists in Nordic countries, surgery is not typical in mesothelioma treatment.
In other countries throughout the world, including the U.S., patients with good performance status, at a low stage of the disease, are often submitted for surgery.
Dr. Hillerdal, a researcher of mesothelioma claims that when patients are admitted for surgery so quickly, this leaves them with the possibility of getting the worst prognosis for treatment with chemotherapy.
Researchers in Sweden and the U.S. collaborated to research the longevity of the average mesothelioma patient.
In analyzing 147 patients living with mesothelioma, 44% survived for at least 18 months, 25 % survived two years, and 9 % survived for five years.
“The key message from this study is that survival of mesothelioma is not as bad as people believe,� explains Dr. Hillerdal, “ With proper patient selection, survival with chemotherapy can be just as good as surgery, if not better.