Mesothelioma cancer
Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Because this cancer is less common, survival is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.
Some of the statistics have to be based on a small number of people. Remember, they can't tell you what will happen in your individual case.
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They record what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
There are no UK-wide statistics available for mesothelioma survival by stage.
1 year survival statistics are available for each stage of mesothelioma in England. These figures are for men and women diagnosed between 2013 and 2017.
Please remember, this doesn't mean you will only live 1 year. It relates to the number of people who are still alive 1 year after their diagnosis of cancer. Some of these people will live much longer than 1 year.
Around 60 out of 100 people (around 60%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed.
More than 55 out of 100 people (more than 55%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis.
Around 50 out of 100 people (around 50%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed.
30 out of 100 people (30%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed.
Generally for people with mesothelioma in England:
45 out of 100 people (45%) survive their mesothelioma for 1 year or more after diagnosis
more than 5 out of 100 people (more than 5%) survive their mesothelioma for 5 year or more after diagnosis
Your outcome depends on the stage of the mesothelioma when it was diagnosed. This means whether it has spread.
The type of mesothelioma you have also affects your likely survival. People with the epithelial type tend to do better than the other types.
Read more about the types of mesothelioma
Another factor is how well you are overall. Doctors have a way of measuring this. They call it your performance status. A score of 0 means you are fully active and more or less as you were before your illness. A score of 1 means you can't carry out heavy physical work, but can do everything else. The scores continue to go up, depending on how much help you need.
Overall, the fitter people are, the better they are able to withstand their cancer and treatment.
Read more about performance status
People with normal haemoglobin levels and normal white blood cell and platelet counts tend to do better. These tests are a measure of your overall health and the effect the mesothelioma is having on you.
Taking part in clinical trials can help to improve the outlook for people with mesothelioma.
Find out how to join a clinical trial
You can read more statistics on survival rates and other factors for mesothelioma in our Cancer Statistics section.
Last reviewed: 18 May 2023
Next review due: 18 May 2026
Mesothelioma is a cancer that most commonly starts in the layers of tissue that cover each lung (the pleura). Read more about how common it is, what it is and who gets it.
There are 3 main types of mesothelioma. The grade gives your doctor an idea of how the cancer might behave. Knowing this helps your doctor to decide which treatment you need.
The staging system most commonly used in the UK for pleural mesothelioma is called the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) system.
The treatment you have depends on the stage and type of your mesothelioma. Some people with early stage mesothelioma have surgery. Other treatments include immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Practical and emotional support are available to help you cope with a diagnosis of mesothelioma, both during and after treatment.
Mesothelioma is a cancer that most commonly starts in the sheets of skin-like tissue that cover each lung (the pleura). More rarely it starts in the sheet of tissue in the abdomen that covers the digestive system organs (the peritoneum).
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