Pleural Mesothelioma Patients with 5-Year Survival Still Rare

Although no amount of asbestos exposure is considered safe, lower levels of non-occupational exposure are most often linked to long-term survival for those diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to a recent study. Clinical Lung Cancer published the study that compared characteristics of 43 pleural mesothelioma patients who survived at least five years with the disease to a much larger control group. Several previous mesothelioma studies have estimated that the five-year survival rate is just under 5% for pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer with no definitive cure. It is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. “The reasons for dismal long-term survival rates include diagnosis at late stage and poor response to conventional treatment modalities,” the authors wrote. “However, as some patients achieve prolonged survival, researchers have tried to identify prognostic factors underlying this phenomenon.” Age, Sex and Exposure Matter in Mesothelioma Survival Clinical factors of long-term survival were not surprising, and similar to less comprehensive studies. They included younger patients, more frequently female patients, a better performance status at the time of diagnosis and non-occupational exposure to asbestos. The study was conducted by researchers mostly from the departments of pathology and pulmonary medicine at Helsinki University Hospital in Finland. Researchers declined to provide additional perspective and...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news