- Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma Facts
- Mesothelioma Symptoms
- Mesothelioma Awareness
- Mesothelioma Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma Causes
- Mesothelioma Risk Factors
- Mesothelioma Incidence
- Mesothelioma Diagnosis
- Mesothelioma Tests
- Mesothelioma Biopsy
- Mesothelioma Blood Test
- Mesothelioma Pathology
- Mesothelioma Prognosis
- Mesothelioma Life Expectancy
- Mesothelioma Life Span
- Mesothelioma Survival Rate
- Mesothelioma Survivors
- Mesothelioma Death Rate
- Mesothelioma Types
- Pleural Mesothelioma
- Peritoneal Mesothelioma
- Pericardial Mesothelioma
- Well-Differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma
- Malignant Mesothelioma
- Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma
- Biphasic Mesothelioma
- Epithelial Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma Staging
- Mesothelioma Metastasis
Mesothelioma Survivors
Many mesothelioma patients become discouraged by the cancer's average prognosis of less than one year after diagnosis, yet new stories of patients surviving far longer than expected are continuing to emerge. These examples are beacons of hope for mesothelioma patients and for the researchers who are continually working towards finding a definitive cure.
The Diagnosis and Prognosis Correlation
Typically, mesothelioma is not diagnosed until 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure occurred. Because symptoms can take decades to emerge, the internal development of cancer often goes undetected until it is fairly severe.
The earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better a patient's prognosis typically becomes. Beginning stage mesotheliomas are potentially resectable (operable), while those that have progressed much further are not removable. Most mesothelioma cases are diagnosed late in the development of the cancer, but health professionals are striving to make early diagnosis more common through medical advancements such as the Mesomark blood test.
The Immune System's Role in Surviving Mesothelioma
Because mesothelioma has no known cure, doctors are intrigued by the cases of patients who survive far longer than their expected one-year period, some of whom have even achieved full remission. Although remission is always possible, this astounding progress continues to impress and inspire the medical community.
Research has shown that the patients who have survived mesothelioma tend to have a strong immune system, and many of them participated in an immune-boosting form of therapy. Asbestos fibers are thought to cause mesothelioma following a complex series of biologic reactions that can occur if the immune system fails to remove or neutralize the lodged fibers, leading many researchers to focus on improving the immune system as a form of therapy.
Survivor Stories
Many current mesothelioma patients and their loved ones find a great deal of hope in the stories of those who have beaten mesothelioma. Doctors can also learn from these survival stories in their attempt to recommend better treatment options to their patients.
One notable mesothelioma survivor is Paul Kraus, an Australian peritoneal mesothelioma patient who was diagnosed in 1997, a total of 35 years after his initial occupational asbestos exposure. Kraus remained positive about his prognosis and began exploring numerous ways to fight back. He became a vegetarian, began a vitamin routine, juiced fruits and vegetables for extra nutrition and participated in ozone therapy (a treatment that added a specific form of oxygen to his blood, creating a highly oxygenated environment where cancer could not thrive). Although the cancer did weaken his body, he remains pain-free and his doctors estimate he could live for quite some time with his current health.
Rhio O'Connor also shared his inspiring fight against mesothelioma in a book that explains his approach to living with the disease for more than eight years. O'Connor chose to bypass traditional options in favor of "mind-body medicine" techniques such as meditation and dietary adjustments. His novel further outlines the supplemental routine he adopted as well as other information about his alternative approach to treatment.