How many deaths are caused by mesothelioma cancer each year?

Approximately 2,497 people died from mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, in 2013, according to The Mesothelioma Center. There are around 2,000 to 3,000 new diagnoses of mesothelioma per year. More than 37,000 people died from the disease from 1999 to 2013.

The median survival times for people diagnosed with mesothelioma depends on the stage of the cancer at diagnosis, but ranges from 12 to 21 months, notes the American Cancer Society. Because it can take decades for symptoms of the disease to appear, most people diagnosed with mesothelioma have advanced cancer at diagnosis. The relative five-year survival rate is from 5 to 10 percent.