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Facts About Mesothelioma

• Mesothelioma is a rare disease, representing less than 1% of all cancers.
  
  
• 2,000-3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year.
  
  
• Approximately 75% of cases of mesothelioma begin in the lining surrounding the lungs (pleural mesothelioma).
  
  
• Another 10% to 20% of mesothelioma cases begin in the tissue surrounding the abdominal area (peritoneal mesothelioma).
  
  
• From 2000 through 2003, the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) annual budget for mesothelioma research was less than $2 million-approximately one twentieth of 1% of the NCI's annual budget.
  
  

Facts About Mesothelioma Victims

• Mesothelioma is rarely diagnosed in people under age 55.
  
  
• 75% of mesothelioma victims are over 65 years old.
  
  
• Men are 5 times more likely than women to develop mesothelioma.
  
  

Facts About Mesothelioma Prognosis

• The average patient's life expectancy following a diagnosis of mesothelioma is about 1 to 2 years.
  
  
• The five-year relative survival rate (percentage of patients who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) of patients with mesothelioma is 9%.
  
  
• Between 2,000 and 5,000 deaths are attributed to asbestos-related diseases each year.
  
  

Facts About Mesothelioma and Asbestos

• A history of asbestos exposure at work has been reported in approximately 70% to 80% of all mesothelioma cases.
  
  
• An estimated 27 million people may have been exposed to asbestos from 1940 to 1979.
  
  
• The average time from initial exposure to asbestos to diagnosis of mesothelioma is 30 to 50 years.
  
  
• More than 225,000 premature deaths due to asbestos-related cancers are projected to occur between 1985 and 2009 as a result of exposure to asbestos from 1940 through 1979.
  
  
• Asbestos has not been in general use in manufacturing and construction since the late 1970s, but still exists in buildings and products in the United States.
  
  
• The amount of asbestos released around Manhattan following the bombing of the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 is estimated at 1,000 tons.
  
  

Facts About Mesothelioma Litigation

• Through the end of 2002, approximately 730,000 people had filed claims for asbestos-related personal injuries.
  
  
• Over 8,400 companies have been named as defendants in asbestos-related lawsuits.
  
  
• Total spending on asbestos litigation through 2002 was approximately $70 billion.