Epidemiology of Malignant Mesothelioma

Epidemiology  of Malignant Mesothelioma

The Incidence of malignant mesothelioma has been rising worldwide since the 1970s, with some evidence recently of a slowing of this trend in some countries. in the United States, there was a steep rise in the incidence of mesothelioma through the 1990s, with a recent leveling off in the rate of increase, but no evidence that the peak incidence of mesothelioma has been passed in this country. A similar pattern, with a plateauing of the incidence rate, is present in some European countries that reduced asbestos usage in a similar time frame to that in the United States.

 However, the overall incidence of malignant mesothelioma is increasing worldwide and is not expected to peak for another 5 to 20 years. A recent estimate for Great Britain is a peak incidence between 2011
and 2015 and the peak incidence in Norway is projected for 2010. La Vecchia et al used death certificates from 8 European countries to predict a peak mortality between 2010 and 2020; a peak incidence in France is expected in 2030and is projected for 2012-2024 in Italy. The incidence is expected to continue to increase in areas of the world where asbestos use has not been curtailed. DMPM is the second most common type of malignant mesothelioma. A recent analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute estimated approximately 250 new cases of DMPM in the United States each year. Some studies with an adequate number of cases demonstrated a strong association between the estimated occupational exposure to asbestos and the risk of DMPM, especially in males. The overall incidence of this disease is higher in males than females, which may be related to a higher incidence of asbestos-related occupations in men. DMPM has also been reported following radiation therapy, mica exposure, recurrent peritonitis and administration of thorium dioxide. Source: World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2009, November 30.