What Is the Average Prognosis for Mesothelioma Cancer?
The average prognosis for mesothelioma cancer is 12-21 months with treatment. The typical mesothelioma prognosis without treatment is 4-12 months.
However, every patient’s life expectancy is different. Some of the patients we’ve helped have become 20+ year survivors despite initially receiving a poor prognosis.
A mesothelioma specialist can estimate prognosis based on your overall health and the cancer’s location, cell type, and stage.
Use our Free Doctor Match service for help connecting with top mesothelioma specialists near you.
How to Improve a Mesothelioma Prognosis
Getting mesothelioma treatment and maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle are key to improving your prognosis. Learn what specific actions you can take below.
Get Treatment From a Specialist
Mesothelioma treatment and prognosis are closely linked. Finding a mesothelioma specialist who can create a custom treatment plan is the best way to improve a prognosis.
Mesothelioma treatment options include:
- Surgery to remove all visible signs of mesothelioma cancer (extrapleural pneumonectomy, pleurectomy with decortication, and cytoreduction with HIPEC are the most common)
- Chemotherapy to kill cancer and keep it from spreading
- Immunotherapy to help the body better recognize and attack cancer cells
- Radiation therapy to shrink tumors and reduce painful symptoms
Depending on your health and other factors, your oncologist (cancer doctor) may recommend a combination of treatments, called multimodal therapy. Multimodal treatment can improve your mesothelioma prognosis by targeting different aspects of the disease.
“Maybe it couldn’t be cured, but I was going to find a way to survive longer than the year that they gave me. I put my faith in the belief that God was going to get me to where I needed to be.”
– Ellen Patton, 24+ year pleural mesothelioma survivor
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Taking care of your health can help your body recover from mesothelioma treatment and improve your overall well-being. Both of these can have a positive effect on your mesothelioma prognosis.
Here are 4 ways to improve your health and wellness:
- Avoid smoking. Smoking can make it harder to recover from treatments and increase your chances of complications and side effects.
- Get proper nutrition. Following a mesothelioma diet can strengthen your immune system and help you feel better after cancer treatments.
- Incorporate light exercise. Walking or doing simple chair exercises can improve blood flow, reduce fatigue, and increase your appetite.
- Manage stress. Anxiety and stress can negatively affect your overall health and recovery. Meditation, prayer, and yoga may help you feel more relaxed.
Talk to your mesothelioma specialist to see how you can potentially improve your prognosis.
“Don’t discount the importance of nutrition, positive attitude, and exercise on the immune system. These things can really impact how a patient does.”
Join a Clinical Trial
You may be able to improve your prognosis by joining a mesothelioma clinical trial.
Clinical trials test emerging treatments that have shown promise in earlier phases of research, ranging from new immunotherapy combinations to cancer vaccines. Over 50 clinical trials are recruiting mesothelioma patients in the U.S. as of June 2025.
Your mesothelioma doctor or a Patient Advocate can help you find a clinical trial that’s right for you and walk you through the enrollment process.
Mesothelioma prognosis is the projected health outlook for this cancer. The average prognosis for mesothelioma is not as favorable as other cancers, with patients living for 15 months on average. But, it's still possible to become a long-term survivor, and some patients have lived for 20 years or more. View Transcript.
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Mesothelioma prognosis refers to the predicted life expectancy and projected course of the disease. It’s an important factor in determining a patient’s treatment plan and overall outlook. The median overall life expectancy of mesothelioma patients is 15 months. However, there are mesothelioma survivors who have outlived their prognosis by more than 20 years. Your doctor will determine your prognosis based on your cancer’s location, cell type stage and other factors such as your age and overall health. It’s crucial to work closely with your doctor to understand your prognosis and available treatment options. While the overall prognosis for mesothelioma is poor, advancements in medicine and treatments are offering new hope for patients and their families. Early detection and treatment can make a significant difference in your mesothelioma prognosis. Contact Mesothelioma Hope today to get connected with top Specialists who can give you the best chance at long-term service survival.
Prognosis for Mesothelioma by Cancer Type
Mesothelioma most commonly forms in the lining of the lungs (pleura) or abdomen (peritoneum). The type of mesothelioma cancer you have will impact your prognosis.
Pleural Mesothelioma Prognosis
Malignant pleural mesothelioma develops in the lung lining and has an average prognosis of 18 months.
One of the biggest factors affecting the prognosis for pleural mesothelioma patients is the stage of the cancer at diagnosis. Pleural mesothelioma has four stages, with higher stages indicating that the cancer has spread further through the body.
Other key factors include your age, overall health, and mesothelioma cell type.
“Your mesothelioma prognosis is a little bit of a moving target. After treatment, the longer you go with no evidence of any recurrence (where cancer comes back), the better your prognosis becomes.”
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Prognosis
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma develops in the lining of the abdomen and has an average prognosis of 53 months.
Peritoneal mesothelioma doesn’t have official stages like pleural mesothelioma does, but doctors can assess cancer spread to determine a patient’s prognosis.
Our Patient Advocates can connect you with top specialists who treat your specific type of mesothelioma and can potentially improve your prognosis. Reach out to us now to get started.
Prognosis for Rarer Types of Mesothelioma
There are two rarer types of mesothelioma that can develop in the lining of the heart (pericardial mesothelioma) or testes (testicular mesothelioma).
- The average is 2-6 months.
- The average is over 46 months.
Because they’re so rare, the mesothelioma prognosis for each type can vary widely depending on when the cancer is found and what treatments the patient receives.
Mesothelioma Prognosis by Cancer Stage
Understanding the stage of your mesothelioma is an important step in determining your prognosis and getting the right treatment.
The chart below lists the average mesothelioma prognosis for each stage and the percentage of patients still alive after 2 years (also known as the mesothelioma survival rate).
| Mesothelioma Stage | Prognosis* | 2-Year Survival Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 21 months | 45% |
| Stage 2 | 19 months | 41% |
| Stage 3 | 16 months | 37% |
| Stage 4 | 12 months | 26% |
Even if you or your loved one has advanced-stage mesothelioma, there is always hope. Former construction worker John Stahl has outlived the average stage 4 mesothelioma prognosis by over 5 years and is still enjoying an active retirement with his wife, Dee.
Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide for expert insights and information on the latest treatment options that could help you improve your prognosis.
Other Mesothelioma Prognosis Factors
In addition to the type and stage of mesothelioma, other aspects of your health can impact your expected survival time.
Some of these include:
- Age at diagnosis: Younger patients may be able to withstand more aggressive treatments like surgery and recover more quickly.
- Cell type: Epithelioid mesothelioma has the longest prognosis of all the mesothelioma cell types and responds the best to treatment. Patients with biphasic and sarcomatoid cell types usually have a less favorable prognosis.
- Gender: Women with mesothelioma tend to live longer and respond better to treatment than men, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Despite these factors, a mesothelioma diagnosis can’t be defined by statistics or one doctor’s prediction. Each patient is unique, and your experience may be very different than someone else’s.
“A misconception I see is patients assuming they can’t survive or live with mesothelioma. But many of our patients are walking around living relatively normal lives.”
Survivors Who Beat Their Mesothelioma Prognosis
Some patients have far surpassed their doctors’ expectations and become long-term survivors.
A few of these survivor stories are highlighted below. All of these patients were originally given a prognosis of 6-12 months but went on to beat the odds by several years.
Julie, 19+ Year Survivor
- Type of mesothelioma: Peritoneal
- Year diagnosed: 2006
- Treatment received: Cytoreductive surgery with heated chemotherapy
John, 6+ Year Survivor
- Type of mesothelioma: Pleural
- Year diagnosed: 2019
- Treatment received: Chemotherapy
Alexis, 18+ Year Survivor
- Type of mesothelioma: Peritoneal
- Year diagnosed: 2007
- Treatment received: Cytoreductive surgery with heated chemotherapy
Arthur, 7+ Year Survivor
- Type of mesothelioma: Pleural
- Year diagnosed: 2018
- Treatment received: Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and alternative nutritional therapy
Reaching Remission From Mesothelioma
Achieving remission is a significant milestone for mesothelioma patients. Remission means the signs and symptoms of the cancer greatly decrease (partial remission) or disappear entirely (complete remission).
Patients who enter mesothelioma remission can continue receiving maintenance therapy to prevent their cancer from returning and help them live longer.
Remission from mesothelioma doesn’t always happen, but it isn’t impossible. More patients are experiencing extended periods of remission thanks to advancements in treatment.
Patient Mary Jane Williams was declared cancer-free a year after being diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. She spent nearly 15 years in remission before passing away from Alzheimer’s complications.
Use our Free Doctor Match to connect with an experienced mesothelioma specialist who can create a personalized treatment plan for you or a loved one.
Get Help Improving Your Mesothelioma Prognosis
It can be overwhelming to get diagnosed with mesothelioma and see bleak survival statistics. But you’re more than a number, and you don’t have to face this cancer alone.
Our team has helped thousands of patients like you access medical treatment, financial compensation, and supportive care to improve their length and quality of life.
We can help you:
- Get a second opinion
- Understand your diagnosis
- Make lifestyle changes
- Manage treatment side effects
Call us at (866) 608-8933 or fill out our contact form to get free, dedicated support from our Patient Advocates.
Malignant Mesothelioma Prognosis FAQs
What is the best prognosis for mesothelioma?
The best prognosis for mesothelioma usually comes when the cancer is found before it can spread. Patients who are diagnosed early on may live for several years if they qualify for surgery or chemotherapy.
The average early-stage mesothelioma prognosis is 20 months, but some patients have lived over 20 years.
For example, Ellen Patton was initially given a mesothelioma prognosis of only 12-18 months, but is still alive more than 24 years later thanks to an experimental immunotherapy she received soon after being diagnosed.
If you’re facing mesothelioma, our team can connect you with a local specialist to see which treatment options may be right for you. Use our Free Doctor Match to get started.
What is the prognosis for peritoneal mesothelioma?
The prognosis for peritoneal mesothelioma is 53 months with cytoreductive surgery (the gold standard treatment for this type of cancer).
Even without surgery, some peritoneal mesothelioma patients respond well to chemotherapy and immunotherapy and live much longer than expected.
What factors affect mesothelioma prognosis?
Several things can impact a patient’s mesothelioma prognosis.
These prognostic factors include:
- Age
- Cancer stage
- Mesothelioma cell type
- Overall health
- Response to treatment
Generally, an early-stage diagnosis is associated with a better prognosis. People in good health are also more likely to qualify for surgery and other aggressive treatments that can improve their life expectancy.
Other factors include whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes, how the patient’s body handles chemotherapy, and whether newer treatment options like immunotherapy are effective.
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