Mesothelioma camcer is an extremely fatal cancer which targets the thin tissue lining of the stomach, the lungs or the heart (mesothelium). Prognosis for patients diagnosed with this illness is not good. Earlier, those who were diagnosed with mesothelioma were given life expectancy of eight to eighteen months after diagnosis. But with the current advances in treatments and diagnostics, the lives of mesothelioma victims have been significantly extended.

 Classifying the Mesothelioma Prognosis

There are various subtypes of mesothelioma. As such, treatment, prognosis and life expectancy for a certain patient depends on the diagnosis as follows:
• Pleural Mesothelioma – this is the most common type with seventy-five percent of the total number of mesothelioma diagnosis; cancer is found in the pleura – the tissue sac that contains the lungs.
• Peritoneal Mesothelioma – this type is often misdiagnosed; the cancer strikes the peritoneum – the tissue that covers the GI tract.
• Pericardial Mesothelioma – this type only covers five percent of the total number of patients diagnosed with mesothelioma; it targets the pericardium – the tissue sac that wraps the heart.

Diagnosis may also depend on the kind of cancer cell that causes the damage, whether it is sarcomatoid, epitheloid, or biphasic / mixed. Prognoses differ accordingly, with sarcomatoid mesothelioma as the worst.

History and Health of Mesothelioma Victims
Other factors that also affect the prognosis of mesothelioma patients are his/her general health condition, medical history and lifestyle. Obviously, smoking tobacco can add to the detrimental effects of asbestos-related diseases.