A prognosis is a medical opinion as to the likely course and outcome of a disease. Factors that affect the prognosis for mesothelioma include the tumor size, the amount of fluid in the chest or abdomen, and whether the tumor can be completely removed. The doctor will also consider statistics from hundreds or thousands of cases. However, it's important to remember that a prognosis is only a prediction.

What Is the Prognosis for Mesothelioma?
People who are facing mesothelioma are naturally concerned about what their future holds. Understanding this disease and what to expect can help patients and their loved ones:

* Plan mesothelioma treatment
* Think about lifestyle changes
* Make decisions about their quality of life and finances.

Many people want to know their mesothelioma prognosis. They may ask their doctor for information or search for statistics on their own.

What Is a Prognosis?
A prognosis is a medical opinion as to the likely course and outcome of a disease. In other words, the prognosis is the chance that a person will recover or have a recurrence (return of the cancer). Many factors can affect a person's prognosis.

Factors that can affect a person's prognosis with mesothelioma include:

* The type and location of the cancer
* The stage of the disease (the extent to which the cancer has metastasized, or spread)
* Its grade (how abnormal the cancer cells look and how quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread)
* The person's age, general health, and response to treatment.

When doctors consider a person's prognosis, they carefully assess all of the factors that could affect that person's disease and treatment, and then try to predict what might happen. The doctor will base the prognosis on information researchers have collected over many years about hundreds (or even thousands) of people with cancer. When possible, the doctor will use statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most similar to that of an individual patient.

The doctor may speak of a favorable mesothelioma prognosis if the cancer is likely to respond well to treatment. The prognosis may be unfavorable if the cancer is likely to be difficult to control. However, it is important to keep in mind that a prognosis is only a prediction — the doctor cannot be absolutely certain about the outcome for a particular patient.

Factors Influencing the Mesothelioma Prognosis
The prognosis for mesothelioma will depend on:

* The stage of mesothelioma (see Mesothelioma Stages)
* The size of the tumor
* Whether the tumor can be removed completely by surgery
* The amount of fluid in the chest or abdomen (stomach)
* The patient's age and general health, including lung and heart health
* The type of mesothelioma cancer cells and how they look under a microscope
* Whether the disease has just been diagnosed or has come back.

What Are Survival Rates?
Survival rates indicate the percentage of people with a certain type and stage of cancer who survive the disease for a specific period after their diagnosis. In most cases, statistics refer to the five-year survival rate. The five-year survival rate is the percentage of people who are still alive five years after diagnosis, whether they have few or no signs or symptoms of cancer, are free of disease, or are receiving treatment. Survival rates are based on large groups of people; they cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular patient. No two patients are exactly alike, and mesothelioma treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.

Relative Survival Rates for Mesothelioma
Survival rates can be calculated by different methods for different purposes. The survival rates presented here are based on the relative survival rate. The relative survival rate measures the survival of mesothelioma patients in comparison to the general population to estimate the effect of cancer. The overall five-year relative mesothelioma survival rate for 1998 to 2002 was approximately 9 percent.

The following are the relative survival rates for each year following a mesothelioma diagnosis:

* Year 1 survival rate: 39 percent
* Year 2 survival rate: 20 percent
* Year 3 survival rate: 11 percent
* Year 4 survival rate: 10 percent
* Year 5 survival rate: 9 percent.

Mesothelioma Prognosis: Final Thoughts
Cancer patients and their loved ones face many unknowns. While some people find it easier to cope when they know the statistics, other people find statistical information confusing and frightening, and they think it is too impersonal to be of use to them. The doctor who is most familiar with a patient's situation is in the best position to discuss the mesothelioma prognosis and to explain what the statistics concerning the disease may mean for that person.

At the same time, it is important to understand that even the doctor cannot know exactly what to expect. In fact, a person's prognosis may change if the cancer progresses or if treatment is successful. Seeking information about the prognosis for mesothelioma is a personal decision, and it is up to each patient to decide how much information he or she wants to know and how to deal with it.