The prognosis for mesothelioma is different for each person. If you worked around asbestos years ago, you need to get tested immediately to see if something shows up on your X-ray, in your blood, MRI or CT scan. Many employees of certain companies that used asbestos were exposed to it just by doing their job. They unknowingly came home from work with asbestos on their clothing and in their hair, causing wives and children to also breathe it into their lungs.
This type of cancer grows in the body for years and years. Although you may have symptoms, like a cough, it resembles the common cold, or you may feel like you have the flu. No one thinks to look for mesothelioma. Usually, by the time a doctor discovers it, the disease has metastasized, which means it has spread to other organs and lymph nodes in your body. This is why individuals who have been in contact with asbestos long ago or at anytime in their lives, need to see a doctor for testing.
Every year more and more progress is being made in finding the disease early and making sure the patient is receiving chemotherapy and surgical treatments for mesothelioma. Now, there is also a simple blood test that measures Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides (SMRP), which are a benchmark or bio marker of Mesothelioma, and is being used for early diagnosis. A doctor would be able to make a much earlier diagnosis if the mesothelioma cells in the blood are elevated.
What a person must realize as with any cancer, the earlier the disease is found and the earlier treatment is undertaken, the better the prognosis for mesothelioma is going to be. It depends on your age, how strong your body is and what kind and stage the mesothelioma is. Doctors have seen a higher survival rate in 50% of all cases which are the epithelial types. 15% of patients have sarcomatoid mesothelioma and 35% get a mixed type of the disease.
This disease has caused quite a stir in the last few years. Lawyers have gotten on board to help patients sue their former employers so the victims of the disease have the money for treatments. The survival rate is not good once the disease has gotten a foothold. Early detection is most important.