Monitor. Mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain

Our plain-English summary of Monitor. Mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain, by M. Kinoulty (Occupational Medicine, 2004).

The study

• Author: M. Kinoulty
• Journal: Occupational Medicine
• Published: 2004;54(6):436
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This one-page "Monitor" column was not original research. It summarized three other publications on mesothelioma. First, it reported that the Health & Safety Executive had revised its statistical model. Mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain rose from 153 in 1968 to 1848 in 2001. In 2001, 1579 of those deaths (85%) were in males. The revised model projected an annual peak of 1950–2450 deaths sometime between 2011 and 2015. The highest-risk occupations for males included metal plate workers, vehicle body builders, plumbers, gas fitters, carpenters and electricians. Second, it described a study of the Exeter Primary Care Trust population (131 849), an area without heavy industry. Of 283 lung cancers with histological proof or strong clinical evidence, 22 (8%) were pleural mesotheliomas, 17 of them in men. The incidence in men over 40 was 12.1 per 100 000 per year (95% confidence interval 7.0–19.3). Third, it summarized an article arguing that a randomized trial was needed to show whether radical surgery (extrapleural pneumonectomy) helps. The author concluded that occupational physicians could expect to see more people with mesothelioma.

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: Short journal column ("Monitor") summarizing three other publications: a Health & Safety Executive report, a study of mesothelioma in Exeter, and an article on radical surgery. It is not an original study.
• Who was studied: As described in the summarized sources: mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain, 1968 to 2001 (Health & Safety Executive), and the population of Exeter Primary Care Trust, totalling 131 849, an area with no mining, ship-building or other heavy industry.
• Exposure: Past asbestos exposure in industry, mostly in general terms. No fiber types were named. Occupations reported as highest risk for males: metal plate workers, vehicle body builders, plumbers, gas fitters, carpenters and electricians.
• Main results:
  • Health & Safety Executive data: mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain rose from 153 in 1968 to 1848 in 2001.
  • In 2001, 1579 of the deaths were in males, 85% of the total. Deaths were most concentrated among people in their 60s and 70s.
  • The Health & Safety Executive's revised model projected that annual mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain would peak at 1950–2450 sometime between 2011 and 2015.
  • Exeter study: of 291 lung cancers identified, 283 had histological proof or strong clinical evidence. Of these, 22 (8%) were pleural mesotheliomas, 17 of them in men.
  • Exeter study: the mesothelioma incidence rate in men over 40 was 12.1 per 100 000 per year (95% confidence interval 7.0–19.3), described as one of the highest reported rates in the world.
  • Surgery article: in 2000–2001, only 26 radical extrapleural pneumonectomy operations were performed in the UK, in 10 centres. The article argued for a randomized controlled trial (the Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery trial).
• The authors' conclusion: The Exeter study's authors concluded that the mesothelioma epidemic will extend to areas without heavy local industry. The column's author concluded that occupational physicians can expect to see more individuals with mesothelioma and will need to keep abreast of treatment developments.

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.

Related studies

• Estimating the number of asbestos-related lung cancer deaths in Great Britain from 1980 to 2000 — A.J. Darnton, D.M. McElvenny, et al. (2006)
• Estimating the number of asbestos-related cancer deaths in Great Britain — M. Greenberg (2006)
• The expected burden of mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain from 2002 to 2050 — J.T. Hodgson, D.M. McElvenny, et al. (2005)
• Occupational cancer burden in Great Britain — L. Rushton, S.J. Hutchings, et al. (2012)
• Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain from 1968 to 2001 — D.M. McElvenny, A.J. Darnton, et al. (2005)
• The effect of smoking on the risk of lung cancer mortality for asbestos workers in Great Britain (1971-2005) — G. Frost, A. Darnton, et al. (2011)

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