About Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a tragic disease that affects between 2,000 and 3,000 new people each year in the United States. If you or a loved one are a victim of mesothelioma, you are likely facing many emotions as you make important treatment and care decisions. Often, the survival time may be only one year. This is because by the time mesothelioma presents symptoms in the patient, it is very advanced. In cases where detection of mesothelioma is early, roughly half of victims will survive two years, and 20% will survive five years. The median survival is about 17 months from the beginning of symptoms. Most mesothelioma cases are directly related to asbestos exposure. However, inhalation of asbestos fibers does not immediately cause asbestos cancer – it may take twenty years or more for mesothelioma symptoms to begin.