General Mesothelioma Statistics - United States

Being a rare cancer, mesothelioma is now spreading fast among people of all ages and races due to asbestos exposure. According to the latest statistics report by the United States National Cancer Institute, mesothelioma is diagnosed in 2 thousand to 3 thousand people every year and with the passage of time, this figure is expected to rise as more and more people are falling victim to asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Statistics – A General Overview
Approximately 70% to 80% of all the mesothelioma cases are known to result from direct exposure to asbestos while the rest result from indirect exposure. Direct exposure is referred to inhaling asbestos at workplace and anywhere the patient worked him/herself. On the other hand, indirect exposure refers to inhaling asbestos from any equipment or thing that carried asbestos particles.

Due to its long latency period, it takes about 20 -50 years for the mesothelioma symptoms to appear. People exposed to asbestos in their childhood and youth are discovered with mesothelioma in their middle and later years. As a result it becomes very hard to collect exact mesothelioma statistics as most of the people during the long latency period do not suffer from any of its symptoms. There is also the danger that mesothelioma statistics do not accurately reflect the number of people who suffer from this malignant cancer.

Mesothelioma and Age Related Statistics
It has been found that mesothelioma is mostly diagnosed in people over 55 years. Most of the people discovered with mesothelioma were retired or on the verge of retirement. 75% of the people suffering from mesothelioma are over the age of 65.

However, according to statistics, mesothelioma is increasing among people between 20 to 40 years. This indicates a rise in secondary exposure to asbestos.

In most of the cases, by the time mesothelioma is diagnosed, it is at an advanced stage; and combined with old age and lack of prompt treatment, it leads to the patients’ death. The survival age for mesothelioma is 16 to 18 months. The 5 year relative survival rate is 10% which is slowly improving due to new modes of treatment and care.

Mesothelioma and Gender Related Statistics
According to gender-based statistics, mesothelioma cancer affects men 5 times more than women. The main reason for this is exposure to asbestos at workplace such as industry, mines and other places where asbestos is handled and the majority of people working here are men.

Also, mesothelioma is less common in African American men than in white Americans.

Detailed Mesothelioma Statistics

• According to medical experts, mesothelioma cases will continue to increase in the US for at least another 10 to 20 years
• Up to 8 million people have already been exposed to asbestos in the US and they are at risk to develop mesothelioma in the next few decades while asbestos is a grave threat to many others
• Industrial chemicals and construction industry are the other two industries with high mortality rate resulting from mesothelioma along with ship building and ship repairing industry
• According to mesothelioma statistics, by 2030, asbestos will cause more than 60,000 cases of mesothelioma and 250,000 cases of other deadly cancers
• Over half a million mesothelioma injury claims have been filed up till now. Over 50,000 were filed in 1998 only.
• Every year more than 10,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma worldwide
• Asbestos is used in the production of 5,000 products worldwide which is an alarming figure
• 85% of the people diagnosed with mesothelioma are males
• More than 7,500 Americans died from mesothelioma between 1999 and 2001.
• More than 500,000 asbestos or mesothelioma lawsuits have been filed so far
• More than 110,000 schools in the US still contain asbestos in one form or another
• Mesothelioma treatment is very expensive, costing between $400,000 and $800,000 for oxygen, drugs, pain killers and other forms of treatment

According to mesothelioma statistics, around 43,000 to 230,000 people in the US have died from mesothelioma cancer resulting from exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma statistics are very grim and shocking. However, it cannot be denied that these figures are true and the number of people suffering from mesothelioma is expected to rise as more and more people are getting exposed to asbestos. It is very important that these mesothelioma statistics are studied carefully and people who are at the highest risk of mesothelioma or suffering from it are given proper help and treatment.