Mesothelioma Information
As with any disease or health condition, mesothelioma
researchers have, over time, collected statistical information about
mesothelioma. These statistics can help us learn about the proclivities
of the disease and its incidence and potentially help future patients as
we learn more about mesothelioma.
How Common is Mesothelioma?
New cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in between 2,500 and 3,000
Americans each year. These numbers, while significant, would indicate
that mesothelioma is still a relatively rare disease, though incidence
is expected to rise in the next decade according to projections.
What is the Typical Age at Diagnosis?
The first diagnosis of mesothelioma typically occurs in men and women
between the ages of 50 and 70 years. Mesothelioma patients, certainly,
have been diagnosed at ages younger than 50 and older than 70, but
diagnoses for those age groups are considered statistical anomalies.
Does Mesothelioma Occur in a Particular Sex or Racial Demographic More than Another?
Mesothelioma is much more common in men than women, due mostly to occupational asbestos exposure
being more common among men of industrial labor sites. That is not to
say, however, that women cannot be diagnosed with mesothelioma. In fact,
recent evidence suggests that mesothelioma incidence in women may rise
in the coming years as secondary exposures to asbestos can manifest in
the form of a positive mesothelioma diagnosis.
Also of note is that mesothelioma is much less common among African
Americans than in Caucasians, the reasons for which researchers are
still investigating.
What are Typical Patient Survival Rates Following a Mesothelioma Diagnosis?
As mesothelioma is often diagnosed in its advanced stages, the
prognosis from mesothelioma is often in the range of a year after
diagnosis. If diagnosed early enough, however, survival may potentially
extend over many years. Patient survival rates are often contingent on
the treatments available to the particular patient.
Other Mesothelioma Information
Mesothelioma Latency Period
Typically, there is a great deal of time between an individual's
exposure to asbestos and the development of asbestos-related health
complications. Mesothelioma is associated with a long-latency period
(often 20-50 years) after exposure. Over a long period of time, lodged
asbestos fibers slowly inflame the lung's external tissue, often serving
as a pre-cursor to the development of malignant mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma and Women
Many women that have been diagnosed with mesothelioma had no direct
exposure to asbestos from working in industrial job settings. Instead
they discover that they are victims of second-hand asbestos exposure
that occurred while washing their husband's clothes that came home from
work with asbestos fibers on them.
Mesothelioma Prevention
Mesothelioma is known only to be caused by exposure to asbestos, a
naturally occurring fibrous mineral that was used for many years as an
industrial insulation component. As such, the best mesothelioma
prevention is the avoidance of exposure to asbestos. However, in recent
years, physicians and cancer specialists have been developing a
mesothelioma vaccine that will arm the body's immune system with cancer
fighting anti-bodies and antigens in those who are at risk for the
development of mesothelioma.
Medical Timeline
Historical timeline containing important facts and developments
related to the manufacture and use of asbestos and documented cases of
mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos related diseases.
Mesothelioma Misspellings
The word “mesothelioma” is often misspelled by people searching on the internet for information about this asbestos cancer.
In this section we list some of the most common misspellings that we
have seen individuals use in their internet searches for mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Disease
