Malignant mesothelioma in telephone workers

Our plain-English summary of Malignant mesothelioma in telephone workers, by C. Bianchi, T. Bianchi (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2007).

The study

• Authors: C. Bianchi, T. Bianchi
• Journal: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Published: 2007;49(4):359
• Type of article: Comment, Letter
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This was a short letter to the editor, not a formal study. The authors, writing from a cancer research center at Monfalcone Hospital in Italy, described two cases of malignant mesothelioma of the pleura (the lining around the lungs) in telephone workers. The cases were seen in the Trieste-Monfalcone area of Italy over the period 1968 to 2005. Both patients were men, aged 70 and 65, who had spent their entire working lives in Trieste as telephone linemen or technicians. In both, the diagnosis was confirmed at autopsy. The first case was diagnosed in 1981 and the second in 2004. Pleural plaques were found on tissue examination in the second man. The letter did not describe either man's asbestos exposure or name any fiber type. Citing a French study, the authors noted a suggestion that linemen may have been exposed while installing cables in asbestos-insulated areas. They added that talc used in making telephone cables has recently been proposed as another possible source. The authors concluded that former telephone linemen and technicians are at risk for mesothelioma, but that this risk is presumably not high.

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: Letter to the editor reporting two cases (case report)
• Who was studied: Two men with malignant pleural mesothelioma who worked as telephone linemen/technicians in Trieste, observed in the Trieste-Monfalcone area of Italy between 1968 and 2005
• Exposure: Work as telephone linemen/technicians. The letter gives no fiber type or dose for the two men. Possible exposure routes discussed: installing telephone cables in asbestos-insulated areas (suggested by a French study), and talc used in making telephone cables (recently proposed).
• Main results:
  • Both cases were confirmed at autopsy (necropsy). The first was diagnosed in 1981 and the second in 2004.
  • Both patients were men, aged 70 and 65 years respectively, who had spent their entire working lives in Trieste in this job.
  • Pleural plaques were found on histological examination in the second patient.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that available data indicate that people who have worked as telephone linemen/technicians are at risk for mesothelioma, and that this risk is presumably not high.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Lung cancer mortality and occupational exposure to asbestos among telephone linemen: a historical cohort study in France — D. Meguellati-Hakkas, D. Cyr, et al. (2006)
• A pilot study of telephone-based smoking cessation intervention in asbestos workers — O.Y. Osinubi, J. Moline, et al. (2003)
• Mesothelioma among shipyard workers in Monfalcone, Italy — C. Bianchi, T. Bianchi (2012)
• Asbestos exposure in malignant mesothelioma of the pleura: a survey of 557 cases — C. Bianchi, A. Brollo, et al. (2001)
• Familial mesothelioma of the pleura--a report of 40 cases — C. Bianchi, A. Brollo, et al. (2004)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the pleura in nonagenarian patients — C. Bianchi, T. Bianchi, et al. (2011)

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