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Epidemiology of Mesothelioma

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Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Part of the book series: Current Cancer Research ((CUCR))

Abstract

While malignant mesothelioma has generally been associated with exposure to asbestos, several lines of evidence suggest strongly that, like all other cancers, it can and does occur spontaneously and that age is a strong risk factor for its development. This includes not only pleural mesothelioma, the most common site for this disease, but also extra-pleural sites (peritoneum, pericardium, tunica vaginalis testis). Recent epidemiologic studies show that ionizing radiation is another risk factor. The discovery of a germline mutation in the BRCA1 associated protein 1 (BAP1) gene, the inheritance of which increases greatly the risk of developing mesothelioma, may provide the first step in the understanding of the underlying genetic events in the pathogenesis of mesothelioma. Whether and how inheritance of this mutation interacts with other risk factors remains an open question. The diminution of the impact of asbestos on mesothelioma incidence in western countries due to its phase-out may enable the discovery of more modest risk factors. Exposure-response relationships are probably determined by the entire temporal history of exposure, not just the cumulative exposure to fibers. The concept of latency is more nuanced than appears at first sight.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The review by Boffetta (2007) considered this cohort, but reported no cases of peritoneal mesothelioma in the cohort.

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Conflict of Interest

SHM, ETC, GM, and FSM have been involved in asbestos litigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exponent, Inc., 15375 SE 30th Place, Suite 250, Bellevue, WA, 98007, USA

    Suresh H. Moolgavkar

  2. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Suresh H. Moolgavkar

  3. Exponent, Inc., 149 Commonwealth Drive, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    Ellen T. Chang, Gabor Mezei & Fionna S. Mowat

  4. Department of Health Research and Policy (Epidemiology), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Ellen T. Chang

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  1. Suresh H. Moolgavkar
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  1. Cancer Biology Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Joseph R. Testa

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Moolgavkar, S.H., Chang, E.T., Mezei, G., Mowat, F.S. (2017). Epidemiology of Mesothelioma. In: Testa, J. (eds) Asbestos and Mesothelioma. Current Cancer Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53560-9_3

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