Mesothelioma Deaths by Gender

• Age

• Research shows that women with pleural mesothelioma experience nearly three-fold better survival rate compared to men. After analyzing more than 14,000 pleural mesothelioma cases reported in the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database from 1973 to 2009, researchers found that the overall five-year survival rate for men was 4.5 percent, compared with 13.4 percent for women.

  Mesothelioma Survival Rates by Gender

  

  Most asbestos exposure occurs in the workplace, particularly in industrial jobs traditionally held by men. That helps explain why men account for around 80 percent of all mesothelioma cases.

  When asbestos use was far more pervasive decades ago, the few women who did develop a related illness were usually exposed because they lived near mines or factories – especially those that processed the mineral. Women also found themselves exposed by spouses, family members or friends who worked around asbestos brought home the tiny fibers on their clothes.

  Although numerous factors contribute to patient survival, women with mesothelioma appear to survive longer than men regardless of age, cancer stage, race or type of treatment. For every age group studied in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, women fared significantly better than men. There is currently no conclusive answer as to why, but some researchers believe the improved survival could be explained by hormonal differences between genders.