Part of The Mesothelioma Center. Contact Us
Mesothelioma-Line.com.
Journal Articles on Mesothelioma: Cancer Information for Patients and Families

Journal Articles on Mesothelioma: 'Epidemiological' Category

Studies of the causes, distribution, and control of mesothelioma and asbestos diseases in populations.

Epidemiological news feed.

August 19th, 2008. Mesothelioma Epidemiology, Carcinogenesis, and Pathogenesis

An exciting new development comes from the discovery that genetic susceptibility to mineral fiber carcinogenesis plays a critical role in the incidence of this cancer in certain families. It is hoped that the identification of this putative mesothelioma gene will lead to novel mechanistically driven preventive and therapeutic approaches.

August 14th, 2008. National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank: a standard based biospecimen and clinical data resource to enhance translational research

Conclusion: The NMVB currently has over 600 annotated cases available for researchers that include paraffin embedded tissues, tissue microarrays, serum and genomic DNA. The NMVB is a virtual biospecimen registry with robust translational biomedical informatics support to facilitate basic science, clinical, and translational research. Furthermore, it protects patient privacy by disclosing only de-identified datasets to assure that biospecimens can be made accessible to researchers.

August 12th, 2008. Malignant mesothelioma in garment sewing-machine workers

Conclusion: The results of this investigation suggest assigning at least "possible occupational asbestos exposure" to those cases employed in clothing manufacture since the 1950's, who used sewing-machines or pressing machines, according to the Re.Na.M guidelines. Other possible occupational exposures to asbestos in this working sector cannot be excluded; when the simple interview of patients does not reveal such exposures further investigations are needed in order to demonstrate all the possible circumstances of exposure.

August 9th, 2008. Mesothelioma mortality in Brazil, 1980-2003

Mortality was highest among males and people over age 65. Given the history of asbestos exposure in Brazil, our findings support the need for policies that limit or ban the use of this product.

August 8th, 2008. A Meta-Analysis of Asbestos-Related Cancer Risk That Addresses Fiber Size and Mineral Type

(2007) recently analyzed by TEM archived air samples from the South Carolina plant to determine a detailed distribution of fiber lengths up to lengths of 40 μ m and greater. If similar data become available for Quebec, perhaps these two size distributions can be used to eliminate the discrepancy between these two studies.

August 8th, 2008. Sensitivity analysis of the relationship between disease occurrence and distance from a putative source of pollution

However, as the models appeared to be sensitive to modeling choices, we suggest that any analysis of disease risk around a putative source should be integrated with a careful sensitivity analysis and possibly with prior knowledge. The choice of prior distribution is extremely important and should be based on epidemiological considerations.

August 8th, 2008. A Meta-Analysis of Asbestos-Related Cancer Risk That Addresses Fiber Size and Mineral Type

(2007) recently analyzed by TEM archived air samples from the South Carolina plant to determine a detailed distribution of fiber lengths up to lengths of 40 μ m and greater. If similar data become available for Quebec, perhaps these two size distributions can be used to eliminate the discrepancy between these two studies.

August 8th, 2008. Sensitivity analysis of the relationship between disease occurrence and distance from a putative source of pollution

However, as the models appeared to be sensitive to modeling choices, we suggest that any analysis of disease risk around a putative source should be integrated with a careful sensitivity analysis and possibly with prior knowledge. The choice of prior distribution is extremely important and should be based on epidemiological considerations.

August 6th, 2008. Use of hospital discharge records to estimate the incidence of malignant mesotheliomas

Conclusions: HDRs are useful in addition, but not in substitution, to active search of MM cases.

August 6th, 2008. Incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Piedmont, 1990-2001

Conclusions: the rise in incidence might be due to increased diagnostic awareness for MM. An analysis by birth-cohort, however, revealed a cohort-effect, therefore it is unlikely that diagnostic bias alone could explain the observed trend. Among men residing at diagnosis in the province of Turin, but not among women nor in both sexes outside Turin province, the increase in incidence has levelled off in the most recent calendar period; for them exposures stopped on average seven years earlier than those of residents in other areas of Piedmont.

August 1st, 2008. Update of Potency Factors for Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma

, chrysotile or crocidolite) of an asbestos structure. An analysis is conducted to determine how well different KL and KM definitions are able to reconcile the discrepancies observed herein among values obtained from different environments.

July 25th, 2008. Environmental exposure to Libby asbestos and mesotheliomas

Results: These exposures are considered to be of a low degree of magnitude, but are similar to those in Western Australia's crocidolite mine at Wittenoom Gorge. An epidemic of mesothelioma can likely be expected from this type of asbestos contamination over the next 20 plus years.

July 22nd, 2008. Assessment of biomarkers in asbestos-exposed workers as indicators of cancer risk

Subjects heavily exposed to asbestos [>60(ff/cm(3))xyears] showed also a higher level of angiogenic factors. A combination of angiogenic biomarkers with a specific mesothelioma-biomarker such as SMRPs could be used for close surveillance of workers with a history of asbestos exposure.

June 25th, 2008. Asbestos Fibre Concentrations in the Lungs of Brake Workers: Another Look

Conclusions: Re-analysis of published data does not support the interpretation that, in automotive brake repair workers with malignant mesothelioma, asbestos content is within the normal range. The alternative interpretation that brake mechanics have a greater than background burden of asbestos fibres, attributable to occupational exposure to dusts from friction products manufactured from Canadian chrysotile, appears more credible. This asbestos burden might be associated with an increased risk of asbestos-associated cancers.

June 24th, 2008. Select mortality and cancer incidence among residents in various U.S. communities that received asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana

No statistically significant excesses of asbestosis mortality similar to those in Libby were noted; however, 11 sites (plus a state with 6 pooled sites that were counted as 1 site) had excess rates of mesothelioma and cancer of the peritoneum, retroperitoneum, and pleura. Further investigation should be conducted at these sites with excess rates of mesothelioma and cancer of the peritoneum, retroperitoneum, and pleura by participating state health departments to determine whether exposure to Libby vermiculite might have been a contributing factor.

June 11th, 2008. Pemetrexed plus carboplatin in elderly patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: combined analysis of two phase II trials

Apart from slightly worse haematological toxicity, there was no significant difference in outcome or toxicity between age groups. The PC regimen is effective and well tolerated in selected elderly patients with MPM.

June 6th, 2008. Excess of Mesotheliomas after Exposure to Chrysotile in Balangero, Italy

Conclusions: The cluster of 14 mesothelioma cases among workers who were active in the mine and 13 among other people exposed to Balangero chrysotile adds further evidence to the carcinogenicity of tremolite-free chrysotile.

June 6th, 2008. Long-term mortality from pleural and peritoneal cancer after exposure to asbestos: Possible role of asbestos clearance

The risk for pleural cancer, rather than showing an indefinite increase, might reach a plateau when a sufficiently long time has elapsed since exposure. The different trends for pleural and peritoneal cancer might be related to clearance of the asbestos from the workers' lungs.

June 4th, 2008. Mesothelioma due to environmental exposure to erionite in Turkey

It has also been confirmed that a genetic predisposition to erionite carcinogenesis is the cause of the mesothelioma epidemic in Cappadocia. Summary: The data obtained recently on the epidemiology, etiology, and pathogenesis of the mesothelioma due to erionite exposure in Turkey are described.

May 30th, 2008. Two cases of asbestosis and one case of rounded atelectasis due to non-occupational asbestos exposure

The three cases indicate that non-neoplastic, long-latency asbestos-related diseases which are usually observed as a consequence of occupational exposures, may rarely develop in subjects living in contaminated geographical sites and buildings. These unusual environmental diseases raise the diagnostic problem of differentiating them from other, more common respiratory illnesses, and impose the duties of patient notification, assessment and follow-up, to assess the possibility of progression of disease and increased neoplastic risk.