Epidemiology of Mesothelioma

Abstract

Since 1973 the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified asbestos as a certain carcinogen, but today it is still used in several countries. To date, mesothelioma risk is certainly linked not only to occupational exposures but also to environmental exposures. The incidence and mortality are increasing worldwide, especially in developing countries where asbestos is still often used without adequate measures for worker safety. The epidemiological surveillance systems of related asbestos diseases are instruments of public health adopted internationally. The experience and the operating methodology of the Italian mesothelioma registry and the data produced from 1996 to 2015 highlight how in countries where the asbestos ban has been active for over 20 years the risk of asbestos remains present, especially in the construction sector as well as for the environmental exposures of the resident population near companies that used asbestos in their production cycle. Worldwide, it is necessary to introduce the ban on the extraction, processing, and marketing of asbestos as claimed by the international scientific community.

The Predictive and Prognostic Nature of Programmed Death-Ligand 1 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Systematic Literature Review

“… 1 It is a relatively rare form of cancer, most often observed in developed countries, with an average incidence rate of 20 per 1,000,000 per year in Europe, 9.9 per 1,000,000 in the United States of America (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database 1975–2016), 7 per 1,000,000 in Japan, and 40 per 1,000,000 in Australia. 1 , 2 Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is the most common form of mesothelioma, accounting for approximately 80% of cases and is linked to industrial pollutant and mineral fiber exposure, with approximately 80% of cases linked to asbestos exposure. Although asbestos has been banned in many developed countries for many years, the latency of MPM from exposure to clinical onset is approximately 40 years, and consequently the disease incidence has not yet declined.…”

Tsunami of immunotherapy reaches mesothelioma

“…MPM mainly affects men (male to female ratio, 3:1) and is considered an occupational disease. The mean age at presentation is 74 years[ 2 ]. MPM has three subtypes with distinct histologic, biologic, and prognostic features: The epithelioid subtype, which accounts for 50%-70% of cases; the sarcomatoid subtype, which accounts for 7%-20% of cases and carries the worst prognosis; and the biphasic subtype, which carries a moderate prognosis[ 3 ].…”

A Systematic Study of the Cryogenic Milling of Chrysotile Asbestos

“…Accordingly, asbestos is included by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Group 1 as a carcinogen for human [3]. The most insidious asbestos-related disease is undoubtedly MM [5][6][7]. This aggressive type of cancer originates from the pleural cavity (i.e., the serous membrane that separate the lungs and the wall of the thoracic cavity) to which asbestos fibres can reach due to their favourable aerodynamic diameter [8,9].…”