Mesothelioma Survival Rates

About 40 percent of patients with mesothelioma survive the first year after diagnosis. That survival rate depends on many factors, including age, cancer stage, cancer type, race and gender. Long-term survivors attribute their success to treatment from a mesothelioma specialist, alternative medicine and nutritional changes.

How is survival rate measured?

Researchers describe the mesothelioma survival rate in several ways. They usually talk about it in terms of one-year survival, the percentage of people who survive for a year after diagnosis. Through their studies, they also look at longer survival times, including the number of people who live two years, three years and five years.

Average mesothelioma survival rates

About 40 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients in the U.S. are still alive one year after diagnosis. About 20 percent survive after two years, and approximately 8 percent survive after three years. The National Cancer Institute's SEER program reports five-year survival rates ranging between 5 and 10 percent.