Mesothelioma prognosis comes as a shocking revelation to the victims and family members, due to wide and varied reasons. A rare form of cancer, mesothelioma infects the protective covering of the internal organs, called mesothelium. Over-exposure to asbestos results in the mesothelium getting affected. People become exposed to asbestos mostly at their work places, where the material is used. Those who are staying near asbestos mines also fall victims of the disease. But the impact of the infection would be different in different persons. It depends on the stage of cancer at the time of detection, the age and health of the infected person and the ability of the body to respond to treatment procedures.

Mesothelioma lies inactive for many long years before the symptoms become visible. When ultimately mesothelioma prognosis happens it would be too late, since the infection may have affected the vital organs like lungs, heart or abdomen. There are four stages of mesothelioma. If the patient is in the first or second stage of cancer there is hope for him through expert medical help. But the prognosis of stage 3 and stage 4 cancer is devastating as the treatment would not be effective at these stages. Mostly mesothelioma is diagnosed when the patient goes to the doctor for some other medical problems.

Another problem associated with the illness is that many specialists and cancer centers do not have the expertise to treat mesothelioma which is a rare form of cancer. As far as stage 3 and stage 4 cancers are considered the treatment is aimed at reducing the pain and providing a comfortable atmosphere for the patient. However research works are going on to find a successful treatment for advanced stages of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma cancer is of three types - the pleural, the peritoneal and the pericardial. The most commonly found one is the pleural type, though it can be cured easily. Different treatment procedures like chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are used to cure the infection affecting the protective lining of the lungs. The second type affects the abdominal cavities. This is called peritoneal mesothelioma and is more dangerous. The third type affects the heart region and is definitely fatal. This is known as pericardial mesothelioma. Another problem associated with the disease is that doctors tend to diagnose the type of infection wrongly increasing the number of fatalities.

In the modern age, with the invention of modern treatments, mesothelioma prognosis has become better. The modern treatment includes multimodality treatment, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy etc. Ultimately survival depends on the response of the patients towards treatment and the type of cancer.