The Mesothelioma SOS Glossary - Prognosis

Prognosis is a medical term which denotes the physician's projected outcome of how a patient's disease will progress, and if there is a chance for recovery. Prognosis is usually most accurate when it is achieved statistically. By comparing large groups of patients in a specific stage of illness, doctors can usually predict not only a patient's chance of survival, but a time frame for the patient's live expectancy. For example, in tumor staging, doctors can typically predict survival by measuring statistically other patients who have survived for 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. In most prostate cancers, the 5 year survival rate is higher than 90%, yet in lung cancers the 5 year survival rate is less than 10%. While prognosis is never exact, and there are countless cases of patients who have survived for much longer than their expected prognosis, it can be an extremely important tool in determining whether it makes more sense to continue treatment or to withhold treatment, or to continue treatment focused on relieving symptoms.