Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly aggressive form of cancer, has a long latency
period, and is resistant to chemotherapy. It is extremely fatal, with a mean survival
of less than one year. The development of MM is strongly correlated with exposure to
asbestos and erionite, as well as to simian virus 40. Although various countries have
banned the use of asbestos, MM has proven to be difficult to control and there
appears to be a trend toward an increase in its incidence in the years to come. In
Brazil, MM has not been widely studied from a genetic or biochemical standpoint. In
addition, there have been few epidemiological studies of the disease, and the profile
of its incidence has yet to be well established in the Brazilian population. The
objective of this study was to review the literature regarding the processes of
malignant transformation, as well as the respective mechanisms of tumorigenesis, in
MM.