Mesothelioma Remission and Recurrence
Mesothelioma remission occurs when the signs of cancer reduce or completely go away. Though remission is rare and recurrence (where mesothelioma comes back) could happen, some patients have lived for many years cancer-free. Lung Cancer Group can help you access treatments that could allow you to achieve remission.
Can Mesothelioma Go Into Remission?
Possibly, yes. Many past mesothelioma cancer patients have entered remission, allowing them to live much longer than expected.
The average mesothelioma life expectancy is 12-21 months, but some patients have lived for 15 years or more in remission.
When remission occurs, you’ll either have fewer or no symptoms of mesothelioma, and cancer tumors might be smaller or no longer seen on imaging scans.
You have a better chance of going into remission by getting treatments, which allow doctors to remove or destroy as much of the cancer as possible.
Speak with our on-staff mesothelioma nurses to find treatment options that could help you potentially achieve remission.
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Amy Fair
20+ Years Helping
Mesothelioma Patients
Types of Mesothelioma Remission
There are three main types of mesothelioma remission:
- Complete remission: Doctors find no evidence of disease in the body. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) refers to this as complete response.
- Partial remission: This is when tumors shrink but don’t go away completely.
- Stable disease: If your cancer stops growing but hasn’t gone away after treatment, you have stable disease.
It’s important to note that you could still live for long periods of time if your cancer is in partial remission or becomes stable. In fact, some mesothelioma survivors never experience complete remission.
Call (877) 446-5767 now to talk to our mesothelioma patient advocates about how to improve your chances of going into remission.
Mesothelioma Remission vs. Recurrence
Mesothelioma recurrence happens when the cancer comes back after a period of remission, and sadly, this often happens. In a 14-year study, 78% of pleural mesothelioma patients experienced recurrence.
The Moffitt Cancer Center notes that there’s no way to know when or if your cancer will return. But, treatments could send recurrent cancer back into remission.
A 2022 trial studied if Opdivo® (an immunotherapy drug) could help pleural mesothelioma patients who experienced recurrence after surgery. In the trial, 25 patients achieved remission or stable disease, while the cancer progressed in only 8 patients.
Malignant Mesothelioma Remission Rates
Generally speaking, the mesothelioma remission rates are low because this cancer is very aggressive and usually not diagnosed until it has spread.
That said, you or a loved one still could achieve mesothelioma remission depending on how your cancer tumors respond to treatments.
Here are notable mesothelioma remission statistics and rates:
- According to a study published in Lung Cancer, about 7% of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the lining of the lungs (pleura), achieved complete remission when treated with chemotherapy and lung-removal surgery.
- An analysis of several studies found that 12-33% of patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (which develops in the abdominal lining) entered complete remission with treatment.
While many cases of mesothelioma do come back even if complete remission occurs, patients often live for years longer than doctors expected them to.
Treatments and Mesothelioma Remission
Learn about treatments that may help you become cancer-free below.
Surgeries
Surgeries allow mesothelioma doctors to remove cancer tumors from the body, increasing the chances of remission and long-term survival.
- Cytoreduction with HIPEC: Treats peritoneal mesothelioma by combining cytoreductive surgery with heated chemotherapy. The American Cancer Society (ACS) notes that patients may be able to enter remission for long spans of time with this treatment.
- Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP): This surgery allows doctors to treat pleural mesothelioma by removing the lung closest to the cancer, the lung lining, and mesothelioma tumors.
- Pleurectomy with decortication (P/D): This is another surgery for pleural mesothelioma, but doctors keep both lungs intact. Doing so allows patients to recover faster than if they’d received an EPP. It also comes with fewer side effects.
An oncologist (cancer doctor) can determine which surgeries, if any, may help you achieve remission and live longer.
Multimodal Treatment
Mesothelioma specialists often combine several treatments together to help patients as much as possible. This is known as multimodal therapy.
- Chemotherapy: Cancer-killing drugs circulate through the body. Commonly used systemic chemotherapy drugs include pemetrexed and cisplatin.
- Immunotherapy: This treatment boosts the body’s immune response so it can find and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
- Radiation therapy: Using radiation, doctors can disrupt cancer growth and shrink tumor size using beams of energy.
Speak with a mesothelioma nurse now to find top treatments that may help you achieve remission.
- Find Top Doctors and Treatments
- Connect You With Clinical Trials
- Answer Medical Questions
Amy Fair
20+ Years Helping
Mesothelioma Patients
Clinical Trials
Many other trials continue to show promise, and you can ask your doctors if a clinical trial could help you become cancer-free.
How Remission & Recurrence Impact Prognosis
Mesothelioma remission plays a significant impact on your mesothelioma prognosis, or overall health outlook, as you could live much longer than expected.
Here are examples of patients who achieved remission:
- Complete remission: A woman with pleural mesothelioma achieved complete remission after getting an EPP, radiation, and chemotherapy and was still cancer-free 4 years later.
- Partial remission: A man with pleural mesothelioma achieved partial remission for 2 years following a minor pain-relieving treatment. This was also considered spontaneous remission as he didn’t receive other treatments.
- Stable disease: A woman diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in 2006 is still alive today, nearly 20 years later, thanks to treatments that stabilized her cancer.
Mesothelioma recurrence may negatively impact your expected prognosis depending on how far the cancer has spread by the time it is detected. That said, treatments may send recurrent mesothelioma back into remission and allow you to live longer.
Call (877) 446-5767 now to speak with our mesothelioma nurses about treatments that may help you reach remission.
Mesothelioma Survivors in Remission
While mesothelioma is often very aggressive, there are long-term mesothelioma survivors who beat the odds and went into remission. Hear from mesothelioma survivors below.
Sissy Hoffman, 28-Year Survivor
Sissy is one of the longest-living pleural mesothelioma survivors. Originally given 6 months to live following her diagnosis in 1996, Sissy decided to undergo an EPP. She is close to celebrating 30 years of survivorship.
“People need to know that there is help available and that they can get through this.”
— Sissy Hoffman, pleural mesothelioma survivorMary Jane Williams, 15-Year Survivor
Mary Jane underwent multiple peritoneal mesothelioma treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and was cancer-free when she passed away from other causes.
“I am a very positive person. I had three grandchildren that I wanted to live for, and my son, my daughter, and my husband. I just decided that it was not going to beat me.”
— Mary Jane Williams, peritoneal mesothelioma survivorJohn Panza, 12-Year Survivor
After his pleural mesothelioma diagnosis, John received an EPP, chemotherapy, and radiation in 2012. He was cancer-free for over 5 years until a minor recurrence in 2019 but received follow-up treatment and is still living today.
“I just go through it. It is the challenge that I’ve been presented, and I guess that’s what I just have to work with.”
— John Panza, pleural mesothelioma survivorJohn Stahl, 5-Year Survivor
John was diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma in 2019. While most patients live for just 1 year or less with stage 4 mesothelioma, John’s cancer responded well to chemotherapy, and he’s resumed an active lifestyle.
“I’m doing very well, as a matter of fact. I play golf twice a week. I go hang out with my friends when they’re around. I’m pretty well back to normal.”
— John Stahl, stage 4 mesothelioma survivor
While each person’s journey is different, mesothelioma survivor stories let you know that remission is possible — even if you’re diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
Improving the Chances of Mesothelioma Remission
There’s no way to know for sure if you’ll be able to achieve mesothelioma remission. That said, there are steps you can take to possibly increase your odds.
Access Medical Care
Treatments are the best way to work toward mesothelioma remission. Different treatments allow doctors to remove mesothelioma cells and tumors from the body.
Find Top Doctors
Mesothelioma specialists often have many years of experience treating this cancer. They can create a treatment plan that will give you the best chance of living longer and entering remission.
Stay in Good Overall Health
Your overall health is very important to living longer with mesothelioma. If you’re healthy and active outside of having cancer, you may be able to tolerate more aggressive treatments that can lead to remission and a longer life.
Connect with a mesothelioma nurse now to get suggestions on how to improve your odds of remission.
- Find Top Doctors and Treatments
- Connect You With Clinical Trials
- Answer Medical Questions
Amy Fair
20+ Years Helping
Mesothelioma Patients
We Can Help You Work Toward Mesothelioma Remission
While mesothelioma remission is rare, it could happen depending on how your cancer responds to treatments.
Work with Lung Cancer Group to get the medical care you deserve to live as long as possible with mesothelioma.
Our registered nurses can help you:
- Connect with top doctors and cancer treatments for your case
- Pursue financial compensation to cover medical costs
- Receive support as you navigate life with cancer
- Understand mesothelioma remission statistics and rates
Our on-staff mesothelioma nurses are ready to assist you for free. Call (877) 446-5767 or connect with a nurse right now.
Mesothelioma Remission FAQs
Does mesothelioma go into remission?
Yes, in some cases, mesothelioma does go into remission. A patient may experience complete remission (where there’s no sign of the cancer at all) or partial remission (where the cancer tumors have gotten smaller but haven’t gone away completely).
Some patients may also achieve stable disease, which occurs when they still have cancer in their body, but it’s stopped growing.
Has anyone ever recovered from mesothelioma?
Yes, some people have recovered from mesothelioma, living for 15 years or more thanks to medical treatments.
These mesothelioma survivors often go into complete or partial remission for long spans of time. Others may end up having stable disease, where the cancer is still in the body but not spreading.
Contact us now to find out more about treatments that could help you achieve mesothelioma remission and long-term survivorship.
How long will I live if I have mesothelioma?
The average life expectancy for mesothelioma is 12-21 months with treatment. That said, if your cancer goes into remission or stabilizes with treatment, you could potentially live for many years.
Your doctors can provide updates on your mesothelioma prognosis (health outlook) as you undergo treatments.
Is there a cure for mesothelioma?
There’s not an ‘official’ cure for mesothelioma at this time. That said, there are treatments that can help mesothelioma patients live longer.
Some patients may be able to enter remission for years thanks to the mesothelioma treatments they receive.
Can lung cancer patients go into remission?
Possibly, yes. There have been reports of lung cancer patients achieving remission and living for 15 years or more following their diagnosis, which should offer hope to others battling this cancer.
Lung cancer isn’t the same disease as mesothelioma, so it will require different treatments if you want to achieve remission.