Mesothelioma has a poor prognosis. The median survival time for pleural mesothelioma is 12 months from diagnosis. Women, young people, people with low-stage cancers, and people with epithelioid cancers have better prognoses.
Negative prognostic factors include sarcomatoid or biphasic histology, high platelet counts (above 400,000), age over 50 years, white blood cell counts above 15.5, low glucose levels in the pleural fluid, low albumin levels, and high fibrinogen levels. Several markers are under investigation as prognostic factors, including nuclear grade, and serum c-reactive protein. Long-term survival is rare.
