Mesothelioma Statistics
Between 2,000 and 3,000 individuals are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Of all the total cases of mesothelioma, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent are due to be the result of asbestos exposure. Because of the long latency period of mesothelioma, the statistics on those who are diagnosed annually may not accurately reflect the number of people who actually have the disease. The latency period between exposure and symptoms is extremely long, and some victims initially display no symptoms for years or even decades.
Mesothelioma is most likely to be found among people who are between 50 and 70 years of age. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people who are diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 40, which seems to suggest that there is more secondhand or secondary exposure to asbestos than originally thought.
When it comes to exposure to asbestos, there are more than 1.3 million people in the construction industry alone that who could be exposed to asbestos on an annual basis. Other industries like railroads, manufacturing, automobiles, and shipbuilding all have high numbers of potential mesothelioma victims.
Once a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the average life expectancy of the individual is about one year from the date of diagnosis. If the cancer is caught early and treated aggressively, an individual diagnosed with mesothelioma can expect to live for somewhere between two and five years or more.
According to current statistics, between 43,000 and 230,000 people have succumbed to asbestos-related cancers like mesothelioma.
For more information on mesothelioma statistics, please call 1-800-781-3955.
