Notification of malignant mesotheliomas

Our plain-English summary of Notification of malignant mesotheliomas, by R. Barnes (The Medical Journal of Australia, 1988).

The study

• Author: R. Barnes
• Journal: The Medical Journal of Australia
• Published: 1988;148(2):106-7
• Type of article: Letter
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 000886).

In plain English

This is a letter to the editor, not a research study. The author, of the Workers' Compensation (Dust Diseases) Board in Sydney, drew attention to the number of malignant mesotheliomas occurring in Australia, stating there had been in excess of 1250 reported cases during the last eight years. The author wrote that many mesothelioma sufferers exposed to asbestos at work had been denied compensation because their medical practitioner, specialist or hospital failed to notify the Board. Workers accepted as having occupational asbestos exposure were entitled to compensation and medical expenses, the author wrote, with spouses and dependants entitled after the worker's death. The Board was also compensating some workers with bronchogenic carcinoma and heavy long-term asbestos exposure when there was other evidence of asbestos-related disease, such as asbestosis or an elevated asbestos-fibre count in biopsy or necropsy specimens. The author reported that in that year alone 10 cases of malignant mesothelioma and bronchogenic carcinoma were reported months after the worker's death. This made the work history hard to investigate and could delay spouses' claims. The author urged that patients with bronchogenic carcinomas also be questioned about dust 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: letter to the editor from a workers' compensation board official; no study methods or original research
• Who was studied: reported cases of malignant mesothelioma in Australia over the preceding eight years (in excess of 1250), and workers claiming compensation from the Workers' Compensation (Dust Diseases) Board, Sydney, NSW
• Exposure: occupational exposure to asbestos (no fiber types specified); for bronchogenic carcinoma claims, heavy long-term asbestos exposure
• Main results:
  • The author stated there had been in excess of 1250 reported cases of malignant mesothelioma in Australia during the last eight years.
  • The author stated that many mesothelioma sufferers exposed to asbestos at work had been denied compensation because their medical practitioner, specialist or hospital did not notify the Board.
  • The Board was awarding compensation to a number of workers with heavy long-term asbestos exposure who had bronchogenic carcinoma, where other evidence of asbestos-related disease (such as interstitial disease from asbestosis or an elevated asbestos-fibre count in biopsy or necropsy specimens) was evident.
  • In that year alone, 10 cases of malignant mesothelioma and bronchogenic carcinoma were reported to the Board months after the worker's death, making investigation of the work history extremely difficult and potentially delaying the spouse's claim.
• The authors' conclusion: The author asked doctors to notify the Board of mesothelioma cases, and stated that patients with bronchogenic carcinomas should also be questioned about dust exposure.

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: Malignant Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Surveillance of Australian workplace Based Respiratory Events (SABRE): notifications for the first 3.5 years and validation of occupational asthma cases — D. Elder, M. Abramson, et al. (2004)
• Malignant mesothelioma in Australia, 1945-2002 — J. Leigh, T. Driscoll (2003)
• Australian mesothelioma register — D. Ferguson, T. Ng (1980)
• Records of the Australian Mesothelioma Surveillance Program have been lost! — M. Hendrickx (2008)
• Reactions of asbestos-exposed workers to notification and screening — B.E. Meyerowitz, C.D. Sullivan, et al. (1989)
• Asbestos Exposure and Ovarian Cancer - a Gynaecological Occupational Disease. Background, Mandatory Notification, Practical Approach — D. Nowak, B. Schmalfeldt, et al. (2021)

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