Incidence of pleural mesothelioma in Liguria Region, Italy (1996-2002)

Our plain-English summary of Incidence of pleural mesothelioma in Liguria Region, Italy (1996-2002), by V. Gennaro, D. Ugolini, P. Viarengo, et al (European Journal of Cancer, 2005).

The study

• Authors: V. Gennaro, D. Ugolini, P. Viarengo, L. Benfatto, M. Bianchelli, A. Lazzarotto, F. Montanaro, R. Puntoni
• Journal: European Journal of Cancer
• Published: 2005;41(17):2709-14
• Cited by: 19 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

In this study, incidence of pleural malignant mesothelioma (PMM) in the Liguria Region (Italy) (approximately 1.6 million inhabitants), in the presence of asbestos exposure was investigated. New PMM cases recorded by the Mesothelioma Registry of Liguria, from 1996 to 2002 and interviews reported on a standardised questionnaire were analysed according to demographical and etiological characteristics. Nine hundred and forty five PMM cases were recorded (757 males and 188 females); the age standardised (European population) incidence rates per 100,000 were 8.51 and 1.43, respectively. The rates among the four provinces ranged between 1.18 and 13.7 for males and 0.68 and 1.44 for females. The questionnaire was evaluated for 786 PMM cases (or next-of-kin). Higher incidence rates were reported in the provinces with larger industrial and harbour areas, including shipyards (construction and repair), dockyards, building activities, chemical and heavy industrial activities. Asbestos exposure was unlikely or unknown for 57.5% females and 15% males. A major role of environmental asbestos exposure in the etiology of PMM is hypothesised for females and for a minor proportion of males.

In plain English

This population-based registry study counted pleural malignant mesothelioma cases diagnosed from 1996 to 2002 among residents of Italy's Liguria Region, which has about 1.6 million people in four provinces. The regional Mesothelioma Registry recorded 945 certified, probable or possible cases: 757 men and 188 women. The article's abstract gives age-standardised incidence rates per 100,000 of 8.51 for men and 1.43 for women; its Table 1 gives 8.48 and 1.44. Rates appeared to rise among men and fall slightly among women. The highest rates were in La Spezia for men (13.7) and Genoa for women (1.4). Exposure was assessed for 786 cases. Occupational asbestos exposure was identified in 83.7% of men and 15.7% of women. Non-occupational exposure, mostly household, was found in 26.8% of women and 1.3% of men. Exposure was unknown for 14.5% of men and 53.4% of women. The authors concluded that rates remain high, especially in La Spezia and Genoa, and are likely to increase. They suggested a possible role for undetected environmental asbestos exposure, particularly among women. They noted that long latency and limited knowledge of past materials may have limited the detection of exposure.

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: Descriptive incidence study using a population-based mesothelioma registry, with standardised exposure questionnaires
• Who was studied: 945 residents of the Liguria Region, Italy (757 males, 188 females), diagnosed with certified, probable or possible pleural malignant mesothelioma from 1996 to 2002, across the provinces of Imperia, Savona, Genoa and La Spezia. Exposure information was evaluated for 786 cases: 341 interviewed in person, 395 through next-of-kin and 50 from hospital records or other sources.
• Exposure: Asbestos exposure, with fiber types not specified, classified as occupational (certified, probable, possible), household, environmental, hobbies, unlikely or unknown. Provinces with higher rates had harbour, shipbuilding, shipping, oil refinery, petrochemical, metallurgical and steel activities.
• Main results:
  • Of the 945 cases, 757 (80.1%) were males and 188 (19.9%) were females
  • Age-standardised incidence rates (European standard) per 100,000 were 8.51 for males and 1.43 for females according to the abstract. The Table 1 totals are 8.48 for males and 1.44 for females.
  • Rates appeared to increase progressively among males (yearly ASR 7.53 in 1996 to 9.29 in 2002) and to fall slightly among females (1.45 in 1996 to 1.28 in 2002)
  • The highest age-standardised rate was in La Spezia for males (13.7) and in Genoa for females (1.4)
  • Compared with Imperia, the standardised rate ratio was 11.61 for males in La Spezia and 2.12 (P less than 0.05, 95% CI 1.64 to 2.60) for females in Genoa
  • Among the 786 cases with exposure information, occupational asbestos exposure (certified, probable or possible) was identified in 83.7% of males and 15.7% of females
  • Non-occupational exposure was found in 26.8% of females (household 19.2%, environmental 6.2%) and 1.3% of males
  • Among males, occupational exposure ranged from 91.5% in La Spezia to 45.4% in Imperia, a pattern similar to the incidence rates
  • Exposure status could not be established for 14.5% of males and 53.4% of females
  • Among the 614 cases with known morphology, epithelial type was most frequent (66.1%), followed by fibrous (10.1%), biphasic (9.3%) and desmoplastic (0.5%). Morphology was not available for 331 cases.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that pleural mesothelioma incidence in Liguria remains high, especially in La Spezia and Genoa, where many asbestos-related activities existed, and is likely to increase because of the long latency. They suggested a possible role for undetected environmental asbestos exposure, particularly among females.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors state that long latency, patients' poor performance status, and patients', relatives' and the researchers' limited knowledge of past materials and their risks may have affected their ability to detect past asbestos exposure

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma, Asbestos Exposure, Incidence, Etiology.

Related studies

• Past trends and future prediction of mesothelioma incidence in an industrialized area of Italy, the Veneto Region — P. Girardi, V. Bressan, et al. (2014)
• Recognized Occupational Diseases in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Liguria Regions (2010-2021) — F. Larese Filon, J. Granzotto, et al. (2023)
• Incidence of mesothelioma in Lombardy, Italy: exposure to asbestos, time patterns and future projections — C. Mensi, S. De Matteis, et al. (2016)
• Asbestos Exposures, Mesothelioma Incidence and Mortality, and Awareness by General Practitioners in the Molise Region, Central Italy — G. Ripabelli, M. Tamburro, et al. (2018)
• Incidence of malignant mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy — L. Mangone, C. Storchi, et al. (2022)
• Malignant mesothelioma in Italy, 1997 — M. Nesti, A. Marinaccio, et al. (2004)

Browse more research in European Journal of Cancer, or return to medical research.