Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Epidemiology (disease frequency)

The conditions caused by exposure to asbestos are reaching epidemic proportions in the USA and other parts of the world, because of the long time span from initial exposure to disease state — and there was peak use of this toxic substance in the 1970s. It is estimated that around 3,000 Americans die each year from malignant mesothelioma (and another ~7000 from other cancers and conditions associated with asbestos exposure).

Between 1979 and 2001, there were at least 43,000 deaths from mesothelioma — and these deaths are probably much less than the actual number, because this type of cancer was often misdiagnosed and it was only tracked as a cause of death in 1999.

A recent study has concluded that after 20 years of increasing incidence of mesothelioma, the disease may have already peaked in the USA, but other sources predict that mesothelioma deaths are expected to peak in ~2016 in the USA. This peak is expected to occur later in countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia (which regulated asbestos use later than the USA). Already, the death rate is high — asbestos-related diseases cause more deaths each year than skin cancer, and almost as many deaths as assault by gunfire. In the United Kingdom, twice as many people die from mesothelioma each year than die from cervical cancer.

Malignant mesothelioma affects men more than women (with around a 3-to-1 ratio), because men were more likely to be employed in industries that mined or milled asbestos, or used asbestos-containing materials. The median age at presentation of mesothelioma is 60 years or more, with most presenting between 50 and 70; this is due to the long latency of this cancer.