The percentage of people suffering from mesothelioma who survive the disease for a specific period of time after their diagnosis refers to the survival rate of mesothelioma. According to the current statistics, 5-year mesothelioma survival rate is used. It is the percentage of people suffering from mesothelioma who are alive for 5-years after the disease has been diagnosed. The evaluation of the mesothelioma survival rate is done by comparing among large groups of people and based on this we cannot predict the condition of a mesothelioma patient. The condition of two mesothelioma patient varies greatly and thus, accordingly, the treatment may vary.

Following are the conditions that affect the mesothelioma survival rate:

• The amount of fluid in the chest or abdomen
• The type of mesothelioma cancer cells and their appearance under a microscope
• The size of the tumor
• Whether the tumor can be removed completely by surgery
• The stage of mesothelioma.
• The patient's age and general health, including lung and heart health
• Whether the mesothelioma has just been diagnosed or has come back.

There are different methods to calculate the survival rates. Here, the survival rates are presented on the basis of the relative survival rate. The relative survival rate can be stated as the measures of the survival of mesothelioma patients in comparison to the general population to estimate the effect of cancer. For an instance, consider the overall 5-year relative mesothelioma survival rate for 1998-2002 which was 9 percent approximately.

The list of the relative survival rates for each year when a mesothelioma diagnosis was conducted is as follows:
  

• Year 1 mesothelioma survival rate: 39 percent
• Year 2 mesothelioma survival rate: 20 percent
• Year 3 mesothelioma survival rate: 11 percent
• Year 4 mesothelioma survival rate: 10 percent
• Year 5 mesothelioma survival rate: 09 percent.