Estimating the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Vietnam: a pilot descriptive cancer registration study

Our plain-English summary of Estimating the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Vietnam: a pilot descriptive cancer registration study, by M.J. Soeberg, M.A. Luong, V.T. Tran, et al (International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2016).

The study

• Authors: M.J. Soeberg, M.A. Luong, V.T. Tran, A.T. Tran, T.T. Nguyen, D. Bui, T.H. Nguyen, K. Takahashi, N. van Zandwijk
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Published: 2016;22(2):167-72
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Introduction: Global asbestos consumption has shifted toward lower income countries, particularly in the Asian region including Vietnam where asbestos and asbestos-containing products have been imported since the late 1960s.

Methods: This pilot descriptive epidemiological study aimed to provide contemporary estimates of malignant mesothelioma incidence (histological subtype M9050/3; ICD-O-3) by gender and age group as recorded across nine cancer registries in Vietnam.

Results: We identified 148 incident cases of malignant mesothelioma during 1987-2013. The majority of cases were recorded in the Hanoi region (n = 93) and were aged 55 years or older (n = 96).

Discussion: By carefully reviewing existing cancer registry records in Vietnam, we identified a larger number of malignant mesothelioma cases than previously estimated. We recommend the use of cancer registry data in tracking future asbestos-related disease in Vietnam.

In plain English

This pilot study counted people newly diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma from 1987 to 2013 in Vietnam's nine active cancer registries, which cover about a third of the population. Cases were found using a single registry code for malignant mesothelioma, not otherwise specified. The article does not separate pleural from peritoneal disease. The authors found 148 cases: 78 men and 70 women. The Hanoi registry held 93 cases (63%) and the Ho Chi Minh registry held 40 (27%). In Ho Chi Minh, women outnumbered men 22 to 18. Three registries recorded none. Overall, 96 people (66%) were aged 55 or older, 50 were 54 or under, and two had no age recorded. Among men, 56% were 55 or older (n = 43), compared with 77% of women (n = 53). The study had no data on asbestos exposure or deaths. Incidence rates were not calculated: regional population figures were unavailable, and national figures did not match the registries' coverage. The authors concluded that they had found more cases than previously estimated and that the registries can feasibly be used to collect mesothelioma data in Vietnam.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Pilot descriptive epidemiological study (case series) using existing cancer registry records
• Who was studied: People newly diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma (ICD-O-3 code M9050/3, not otherwise specified) between 1 January 1987 and 31 December 2013 and recorded in any of nine active cancer registries in Vietnam, which together cover about a third of the country's population. The registries covered different periods: Hanoi 1987 to 2013, Ho Chi Minh 2000 to 2013, and others starting between 2001 and 2012.
• Exposure: Not measured. The study had no information on individual asbestos exposure histories. The authors described the likely workplaces where asbestos is used in Vietnam only as background drawn from other published work, for example chrysotile in roof sheet manufacturing.
• Main results:
  • 148 incident cases of malignant mesothelioma were identified across the nine registries: 78 males and 70 females.
  • 93 cases (63% of all cases) were recorded in the Hanoi cancer registry.
  • 40 cases (27% of all cases) came from the Ho Chi Minh cancer registry. Of these, 22 were female and 18 were male.
  • 15 cases came from five more recently established registries. The Da Nang, Hai Phong and Kien Giang registries recorded no cases.
  • Across all registries the male-to-female ratio was 1.11. The authors said this suggests little difference in case numbers by gender.
  • For both genders combined, 96 cases (66%) were aged 55 years or older at diagnosis and 50 were aged 54 or under. Two cases had no age at diagnosis recorded.
  • 56% of male cases were aged 55 or over (n = 43), and about a quarter of male cases were diagnosed before age 45.
  • 77% of female cases were aged 55 or older (n = 53).
  • 142 of the 148 cases had pathology report data from the primary tumor. The remaining six were confirmed by scans, which the article calls 'computer topography scans'.
  • The authors reported that they found a larger number of cases than previously estimated.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the pilot study showed it is feasible to use Vietnam's active cancer registries to collect data on malignant mesothelioma. They stated that they had identified more cases than previously estimated.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Population figures for each registry region were not readily available. The authors considered national population figures but rejected them as a basis for rates because the registries cover only about a third of Vietnam's population. As a result, no crude or age-standardized incidence rates were calculated, which limited comparison with other countries.
  • Cases were identified by ICD-O-3 histology codes rather than the more commonly used ICD-10 C45 diagnostic codes.
  • No independent case-finding process was carried out to check how complete and accurate the registry data were.
  • The precise population coverage of each registry, and whether the registries were truly population-based, could not be determined.
  • It was not possible to determine how any person was exposed to asbestos.
  • The authors could not test their suggested explanations for why cases were concentrated in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Histological Subtype, Cancer Registry.

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