Mesothelioma Life Expectancy: Will I live long?
Malignant mesothelioma as a form of cancer is a very serious condition just like any other kind of cancers. The moment that a person is diagnosed of cancer two questions are commonly raised namely: What can I do? Will I die?
The problem with malignant mesothelioma as a cancer is that it is a silent assassin. You will only be experiencing symptoms the moment that the cancer has metastasized. A metastasized cancer, no matter how aggressive the treatments are, will always result to a low chance of survival. Cancers of any kind are usually successfully treated if they are diagnosed early. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the higher the probability that the patient will survive the cancer. The earlier the diagnosis, the more health promoting and disease prevent activities you can participate in to.
Determining Life Expectancy After Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Unfortunately, most recorded cases of malignant mesothelioma have died within the 2 year span because it was diagnosed late. The problem with this type of disease is that how are you supposed to know if the cough that you just did is a common cough or a manifestation of cancer? How will you know if the hoarseness that you had was because of shouting last night or because of cancer? How are you supposed to know that your usual shortness of breath from your daily activities is already a cancer? These questions are some of the most difficult topics when we are talking about cancer; because, all of them are very common signs and symptoms that we usually experience every day.
Another reason for having a short life span of malignant mesothelioma is because of the age. The life expectancy of mesothelioma patients is low because most persons who are consulting doctors about the disease are more than 55 years old. Most of them are already having diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension and other chronic irreversible diseases that are usually present when a person age. Aside from the age, there are also some patients who are already immune compromised in the first place. Some of them have acquired immune deficiency syndrome while some are already undergoing different types of chemical treatments where in their immune system is malfunctioning.
Mesothelioma Life Expectancy Can Be Extended
Even though malignant mesothelioma has a low life expectancy, there are also numerous cases where in patients have lived more than 10 years despite being diagnosed by a physician. These persons are generally healthy. They have an active lifestyle, they are religious, they have a strong support system, they eat well and most importantly they are not overwhelmed by the day to day stressors that an ordinary person is experiencing. These persons are what we typically label as healthy persons. Even though they have a dangerous disease like malignant mesothelioma, these healthy people have a very strong mind and body that their immune system can withstand the stressors being brought by the tumour.
Some cases also exhibit long life expectancy by those persons that are diagnosed early. Most of those survivors of malignant mesothelioma are undergoing physical checkups for 2 to 4 times every year as a form of protection from carcinogens even before they are diagnosed with the disease. These individuals made it a habit to undergo check-ups because they know that they are vulnerable to this disease; unlike the majority, where they go with the flow only to find out that one day they are already dying and they can’t do anything about it.
In conclusion, malignant mesothelioma has a very short life expectancy of approximately 2 years. In order to beat the 2 year record, one must be physically healthy or that one must be diagnosed of the disease early.