Katherine Keys’ Survival Story: 18 Years After Pleural Mesothelioma Surgery

Katherine Keys was told most patients like her live about a year to a year and a half. That was 2007. This is her story, told in her own words across four episodes of MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast — gathered here in one place for families who need to hear it.

The short version

• Diagnosis: malignant pleural mesothelioma, initially misdiagnosed
• Surgery: extrapleural pneumonectomy (removal of her lung and its lining), July 18, 2007 — Dr. David Rice, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• What doctors expected: most patients in her situation lived about 12–18 months; median survival for pleural mesothelioma is 18–31 months with treatment
• Where she is now: nearly two decades later — believed to be the longest-surviving pleural mesothelioma patient who underwent lung removal, as one surgeon at an international mesothelioma conference put it

Katherine’s outcome is exceptional and individual. It is shared as an educational example of long-term survivorship — not as a prediction of what any patient can expect.

It started with a misdiagnosis

Katherine’s early symptoms weren’t recognized as mesothelioma at first — a common experience with a cancer this rare, whose early signs look like far more ordinary illnesses. When doctors confirmed malignant pleural mesothelioma, she made the decision she now considers the most important of her life: she left her first doctor and sought out a mesothelioma specialist. “I would not have survived had I stayed,” is how she puts it. Her search led her to Dr. David Rice at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The surgery that nearly took her life

Dr. Rice was honest with her about what the extrapleural pneumonectomy would involve: removing her lung and its lining, going through her back, breaking a rib to reach the surgical site, and a 50/50 chance of nerve damage. He was also honest about the odds — most patients in her situation lived about a year to a year and a half.

What Katherine didn’t know until later: while she was on life support in the ICU afterward — unable to speak, communicating by written note or hum — her family had been called in from Dallas because her doctors believed she wouldn’t survive. Her daughters only told her afterward.

Recovery, one treadmill minute at a time

Katherine spent weeks in the hospital and six months on around-the-clock oxygen. She had to relearn how to breathe and how to swallow. Her care team tapered her off oxygen and pain medication slowly and safely. She started on a treadmill at ten minutes at a time; her remaining lung eventually reached 66–80% of normal breathing capacity on pulmonary function tests. It took about five years before she felt ready to return to work.

Some things are permanent: nerve damage on her right side, eating slowly and carefully, sensing bad air-quality days from inside the house. Katherine calls this her “new normal” — and is candid that recovery also brought survivor’s guilt, the loss of two sisters to other illnesses, and a period when her husband left during her recovery, leaving her temporarily without a home. She kept moving forward anyway.

From terminal prognosis to purpose

Today Katherine stays active — the gym, gardening — and has turned her experience into advocacy, speaking openly so newly diagnosed families know that hard days are survivable. She still returns to MD Anderson for check-ins with the team that saved her life. Her advice for anyone newly diagnosed comes down to two things: act quickly, and find the right surgeon — a mesothelioma specialist, not just any oncologist willing to try.

Listen to Katherine tell it

• Part 1 — The Longest-Known Survivor of Pleural Mesothelioma
• Part 2 — 18 Years After Lung Removal
• Part 3 — They Called Her Family to Say Goodbye
• From Terminal Prognosis to Purpose

Questions families ask about Katherine’s story

How long has Katherine Keys survived pleural mesothelioma?

Nearly two decades. Katherine had her lung and its lining removed (an extrapleural pneumonectomy) on July 18, 2007, performed by Dr. David Rice at MD Anderson Cancer Center. A surgeon at an international mesothelioma conference described her as believed to be the longest-surviving pleural mesothelioma patient who underwent lung removal. Her outcome is exceptional and individual — the median survival for pleural mesothelioma is 18 to 31 months with treatment.

What surgery did Katherine Keys have for mesothelioma?

An extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP): surgeons removed her right lung and its lining. Her surgeon told her beforehand that most patients in her situation lived about a year to a year and a half. Recovery included weeks in the hospital, six months of around-the-clock oxygen, and relearning how to breathe and swallow. The EPP is performed less often today than it once was.

Does Katherine’s survival mean other mesothelioma patients can expect the same outcome?

No. Her story is shared as an educational example of long-term survivorship, not a prediction. Half of patients in studies live longer than the median and half live less — but 18-plus years is extraordinarily rare. Every case is different, and outcomes vary widely.

What does Katherine credit for her survival?

Acting quickly, finding a mesothelioma specialist rather than staying with her first doctor, being physically fit before surgery, a strong care team, family and community support, and her faith. She believes she would not have survived had she not sought out an expert surgeon.

If your family is facing mesothelioma

The single clearest lesson from Katherine’s story is the value of disease-specific expertise. Find a mesothelioma specialist — or talk with a MesoCare Patient Advocate about your family’s options and eligibility.