Familial mesothelioma in first degree relatives

Our plain-English summary of Familial mesothelioma in first degree relatives, by A.M. Kalogeraki, D.J. Tamiolakis, E.D. Lagoudaki, et al (Diagnostic Cytopathology, 2013).

The study

• Authors: A.M. Kalogeraki, D.J. Tamiolakis, E.D. Lagoudaki, M.N. Papadakis, G.Z. Papadakis, S.I. Agelaki, E.N. Stathopoulos, M.N. Tzardi
• Journal: Diagnostic Cytopathology
• Published: 2013;41(7):654-7
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Occupational asbestos exposure is believed to be the primary etiologic link to mesothelioma. However, in the evaluation of familial mesothelioma, it is important to consider the possibility of household exposure to asbestos. In this study, we report a family in which the father with prolonged occupational asbestos exposure developed malignant pleural mesothelioma and his daughter 14 years later mesothelioma in situ with focally early invasion. Several reports of familial aggregations of mesothelioma strongly support that genetic factors in collaboration with environmental exposure may contribute etiologically to an as yet unknown fraction of occurrence of this disease.

Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In plain English

This brief report described two cases of mesothelioma in one family: a father and his daughter. The father was a 42-year-old construction worker and heavy smoker with prolonged occupational asbestos exposure. In January 1996 he had a large right pleural effusion and was diagnosed with malignant epithelioid mesothelioma, and he died a few months later. The authors reported the presence of asbestos fibers in the father. In August 2010 his 35-year-old daughter, a supermarket worker and smoker, had a large right pleural effusion, pneumothorax and breathlessness. Her fluid cytology indicated epithelioid malignant mesothelioma, and tissue examination showed mesothelioma in situ with focally early invasion. She later had recurrent pneumothoraces. The report does not describe any asbestos exposure for the daughter. The authors noted that both tumors had the same location and a similar epithelial or tubulopapillary appearance. The authors concluded that their report raises the possibility that genetic factors may be important in some mesotheliomas, but that more familial cases are needed before familial involvement can be postulated.

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: case report (brief report of two related cases, a father and daughter)
• Who was studied: Two first-degree relatives: a 42-year-old man (diagnosed January 1996) and his 35-year-old daughter (diagnosed August 2010). The article does not state where the family lived. The authors work at the University of Crete, Greece.
• Exposure: The father, a construction worker, had prolonged occupational asbestos exposure. No fiber type is named. No asbestos exposure is described for the daughter. Both were smokers; the father was a heavy smoker.
• Main results:
  • Father (case 1), January 1996, age 42: he had a large right pleural effusion. Malignant epithelioid mesothelioma was diagnosed by pleural fluid cytology and pleural biopsy. He died a few months later.
  • Daughter (case 2), August 2010, age 35: pleural fluid cytology indicated epithelioid malignant mesothelioma. Histology showed mesothelioma in situ with focally early invasion.
  • Daughter: during follow-up she had recurrent pneumothoraces
  • In both father and daughter, the pleural mesothelioma had the same location and a similar epithelial or tubulopapillary appearance
  • Asbestos fibers were reported in the father's case
  • Family history: a first brother of the patient died of cutaneous melanoma at age 40, and no other relatives had malignancy. The article does not make clear which patient's brother this was.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, like earlier reports, theirs raises the possibility that genetic factors may be important in some malignant mesotheliomas. They added that asbestos or another agent may be needed to induce mesothelioma in a genetically susceptible person.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Reported cases of familial mesothelioma are few, so the authors said more cases are needed before any familial involvement can be postulated

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Asbestos Exposure, Pleural Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma in Situ, Environmental Exposure.

Related studies

• Cancer diagnosis in first-degree relatives and non-small cell lung cancer risk: results from a multi-centre case-control study in Europe — A. Cassidy, J. Balsan, et al. (2009)
• Malignant pleural mesothelioma: two cases in first degree relatives — A. Wilkins, S. Popat, et al. (2007)
• Genetic susceptibility to malignant mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos: the influence of the familial factor — D. Ugolini, M. Neri, et al. (2008)
• Malignant mesothelioma: clustering in a family producing asbestos cement in their home — K.E. Otte, T.I. Sigsgaard, et al. (1990)
• Quality of life and personality traits in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and their first-degree caregivers — A. Granieri, S. Tamburello, et al. (2013)
• Incidence and familial risk of pleural mesothelioma in Sweden: a national cohort study — J. Ji, J. Sundquist, et al. (2016)

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