The biggest factors for determining a mesothelioma prognosis are stage and location of the disease. The earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance for recovery. An improved prognosis depends on treatment from a physician with expertise in mesothelioma.
Doctors use a variety of tools to determine the best treatment plan that could lead to a positive prognosis. Patients who need advanced treatment plans depend on asbestos trust funds. They provide funds to explore a range of medical options, including travel for treatment and alternative therapies. Asbestos trusts allow patients with any prognosis the chance to explore all necessary means for a better outcome.
Even with health insurance, patients are often limited in treatment options because they're too expensive. Asbestos trusts give patients the freedom they need to pursue a better prognosis. There is no guarantee trust fund money will buy a better prognosis, but it will provide the funding to exhaust all possible options.
Anyone who is suspected of having mesothelioma or has an early diagnosis must undergo several diagnostic tests that will provide greater details about the disease. Early tests include blood work, biopsies and imaging tests.
Doctors need the information from the diagnostic testing to make an accurate diagnosis and determine a prognosis. Mostly, diagnostic tests provide information that will determine treatment procedures and options for clinical trials or palliative care. The key to early mesothelioma treatment is fast and accurate diagnostic testing.
Mesothelioma is identified by two main factors — location of the disease and cell type. Doctors use these factors to determine the most appropriate treatment protocols, so it is important for them to get the most accurate information available.
Each of the three main types of mesothelioma – Pleural (lungs), Pericardial (heart) and Peritoneal (abdominal) – can be treated through a variety of procedures. The cell types that make up mesothelioma tumors –Epithelial, Sarcomatoid and Biphasic – also play a role in treatment.
Doctors use the mesothelioma stage to describe how the cancer has spread from the area it first originated. These stages — stage I, II, III or IV – help medical teams determine the best treatments and a possible prognosis.
In some cases, mesothelioma staging is verified as a result of a physical exam, diagnostic testing and blood tests. In other cases, doctors need to perform surgical procedures called biopsies to better stage the disease. Generally, the lower the stage the more treatment options available.
A prognosis is a doctor's best estimate about a patient's outcome. While there's no definitive formula to determine a prognosis, medical experts use a number of factors, including the stage and location of the disease and the patient's overall health, for a final determination.
Doctors use five-year survival rates and median survival times to determine a prognosis. When hearing your own prognosis, it is important to remember they can vary greatly from patient to patient.
Several factors go into mesothelioma survival rates, including the age of the patient and location of the disease. The most important factor is the stage at which the disease is diagnosed. Most patients who are diagnosed in the early disease stages have better treatment options, leading to better survival rates.
Learning about mesothelioma survival rates allows some patients to better understand their treatment options. Advances in medical technology and disease treatment have allowed mesothelioma patients to live longer than ever.
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