Abstract
Background. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a historically dire prognosis. We sought to calculate life expectancies for patients with pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma, both at time of diagnosis and several years later, and to examine whether survival has improved in recent years. Methods. Data on 10,258 pleural and 1,229 peritoneal patients from the SEER US national cancer database, 1973–2011, were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results. The major factors related to survival were age, sex, stage, grade, histology, and treatment. Survival improved only modestly over the study period: 0.5% per year for pleural and 2% for peritoneal. Conclusions. Life expectancies were markedly reduced from normal, even amongst 5-year survivors with the most favorable characteristics and treatment options.
Highlights
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the mesothelial cells, accounting for fewer than 1% of all cancers [1, 2]
We investigated whether survival has improved in recent years
National Cancer Institute (NCI) maintains and updates both the SEER database and the SEER∗stat software application, a specialized statistical program designed for use with the database
Summary
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the mesothelial cells, accounting for fewer than 1% of all cancers [1, 2]. Most cases are due to asbestos exposure [3, 4], though the correlation has been found to be stronger in pleural than in peritoneal cases [5, 6]. People exposed to asbestos at an early age, for a long period of time, and at higher levels are more likely to develop the cancer. Malignancy develops slowly, and the latency period (time between first exposure and diagnosis) is usually 20 to 50 years. We sought to calculate life expectancies for patients with pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma, both at time of diagnosis and several years later, and to examine whether survival has improved in recent years. Survival improved only modestly over the study period: 0.5% per year for pleural and 2% for peritoneal. Life expectancies were markedly reduced from normal, even amongst 5-year survivors with the most favorable characteristics and treatment options
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
