The age of someone who is diagnosed with mesothelioma will affect life expectancy as well. A 55 year old man who is in relatively good health but discovers he has mesothelioma will probably outlive a man who is 75 years and and discovers the same kind of condition, unless the 75 year old found the asbestos-related lung cancer in the very early stages.  Logically, smokers diagnosed with mesothelioma do not have the life expectancies that non-smokers afflicted with mesothelioma have, either. However, there are ways to improve one’s life expectancy following a diagnosis of mesothelioma, regardless of the factors involved.

Although treatments such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy will weaken a person with mesothelioma, consuming a healthy diet, getting as much exercise as possible and finding ways to reduce the stress of dealing with mesothelioma will improve one’s chances for increasing their life expectancy. However, catching the disease in its early stages is the most important factor influencing the life expectancies of mesothelioma cancer survivors. This is why it is important for an individual to know whether he or she was ever continually exposed to asbestos in the past.

Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat a wide variety of cancers and seems to work well on mesothelioma tumors by shrinking them which relieves pain and breathing difficulties. Immunotherapy is a somewhat new type of therapy which employs the use of cytokines and gene therapy. Cytokines are messenger proteins that can enhance the immune system, a vital component in successfully treating cancers and other aggressive disorders. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States has approved using photodynamic therapy for treating certain lung cancers as well as esophageal cancer but is still in the trial phase in regards to mesothelioma cancer. However, researchers consider this type of therapy promising and think it may become part of the treatment program for future mesothelioma patients.

Clinical trials are necessary to determine the efficacy and safety of drugs meant for treating debilitating disorders such as mesothelioma. With the use of volunteers, new anti-carcinogenic drugs and therapies such as photodynamic therapy can be thoroughly investigated and made available for patients suffering from a variety of diseases. With the advances being made in cancer research, scientists are constantly working on establishing new and improved treatments for mesothelioma patients.

• The first diagnosis made regarding mesothelioma and its association with exposure to asbestos came in 1964.
• There are three histologic types of mesothelioma: biphasic, epithelial and sarcomatoid
• A latency period of up to 50 years has been seen individuals exposed to asbestos
• The National Institute of health estimates that nearly 11 million people have been exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1978.
• A stage 1 diagnosis of mesothelioma generally allows around 30 months of life for an individual following diagnosis while a stage 4 condition of mesothelioma allows for about six to seven months.
• Most people developing mesothelioma are older than 50 but younger than 70 years of age
• Approximately ten to 20 percents of mesothelioma cases affect the stomach
• PET and CT scans are the preferred types of scans physicians use when attempting to diagnose mesothelioma
• Pemetrexed and Cisplatin are the most frequently prescribed drugs for chemotherapy purposes, with two hours sessions scheduled every three weeks for patients undergoing this kind of therapy.

Symptoms of pleural (lung) mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest pain, chronic cough and fatigue caused by persistent coughing and a weakened immune system. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma, or asbestos-related cancer found in the stomach include: accumulation of abdominal fluid (called ascites); unexplained lumps and swelling in the abdominal area and frequent stomach pain.