Estimation of the global burden of mesothelioma deaths from incomplete national mortality data

Abstract

BackgroundMesothelioma is increasingly recognised as a global health issue and the assessment of its global burden is warranted.ObjectivesTo descriptively analyse national mortality data and to use reported and estimated data to calculate the global burden of mesothelioma deaths.MethodsFor the study period of 1994 to 2014, we grouped 230 countries into 59 countries with quality mesothelioma mortality data suitable to be used for reference rates, 45 countries with poor quality data and 126 countries with no data, based on the availability of data in the WHO Mortality Database. To estimate global deaths, we extrapolated the gender-specific and age-specific mortality rates of the countries with quality data to all other countries.ResultsThe global numbers and rates of mesothelioma deaths have increased over time. The 59 countries with quality data recorded 15 011 mesothelioma deaths per year over the 3 most recent years with available data (equivalent to 9.9 deaths per million per year). From these reference data, we extrapolated the global mesothelioma deaths to be 38 400 per year, based on extrapolations for asbestos use.ConclusionsAlthough the validity of our extrapolation method depends on the adequate identification of quality mesothelioma data and appropriate adjustment for other variables, our estimates can be updated, refined and verified because they are based on commonly accessible data and are derived using a straightforward algorithm. Our estimates are within the range of previously reported values but higher than the most recently reported values.

Estimating the global cancer incidence and mortality in 2018: GLOBOCAN sources and methods

“…With an estimated 30,400 (95% UI: 27,800–33,400) new cases and 25,600 (22,300–29,400) deaths worldwide, our global estimates of mesothelioma incidence and mortality are lower than the 38,400 deaths estimated from a recent study, but in line with the 34,760 (32,505–36,461) cases and 30,200 (28,298‐ 31,877) deaths in 2016 estimated by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study . The number of specific cancer sites included in successive iterations of GLOBOCAN should continue; the third most common cancer diagnosed in Africa in both males and females is cancer of “other specified sites”, which encompasses cancers including male breast, bone, connective tissues and the eye.…”

NK‐ and T‐cell subsets in malignant mesothelioma patients: Baseline pattern and changes in the context of anti‐CTLA‐4 therapy

“…The prognosis for MM has not significantly improved over the past four decades. The median survival time is 9–12 months and the disease has been estimated to have caused 36,300–38,400 annual deaths globally in the years 1994–2014 . The chemotherapy combination of cisplatin and pemetrexed is the standard therapy and has modest survival benefits .…”

“…The median survival time is 9-12 months and the disease has been estimated to have caused 36,300-38,400 annual deaths globally in the years 1994-2014. 3 The chemotherapy combination of cisplatin and pemetrexed is the standard therapy and has modest survival benefits. 4,5 The addition of bevacizumab to the standard cisplatin and pemetrexed regimen resulted in a 2.7-month increase in overall survival (OS); 6 however, this regimen is not yet considered as a new standard of care for mesothelioma patients in most countries.…”

CD8+cytotoxic T cell responses to dominant tumor-associated antigens are profoundly weakened by aging yet subdominant responses retain functionality and expand in response to chemotherapy

“…Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos, emerges in the elderly, with the majority of patients being greater than 60 years old, and its incidence is growing to global epidemic proportions. 2,3 There is a long latency period (greater than 30 years) between asbestos exposure and development of diagnosable disease 4 with survival being inversely related to age 5,6 which may at least partly be explained by declining age-related immunity, termed immunosenescence. 7 Until now, no studies had examined the effects of aging on T cell immunity in mesothelioma.…”