The Significance of Short Latency in Mesothelioma for Attribution of Causation: Report of a Case with Predisposing Germline Mutations and Review of the Literature

Sonja Klebe, Ashleigh J. Hocking, Matthew Soeberg and James Leigh
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Sonja Klebe: Department of Anatomical Pathology, SA Pathology at Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
Ashleigh J. Hocking: Department of Anatomical Pathology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
Matthew Soeberg: Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, Concord, NSW 2139, Australia
James Leigh: Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, Concord, NSW 2139, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-10

Abstract: Malignant mesothelioma is a tumour of the serosal membranes, related to asbestos exposure. Median latency is in the order of 40 years in various registries, but small numbers of cases with shorter latencies have long been reported and often dismissed as unrelated to asbestos exposure. However, emerging data regarding the significance of inherited mutations leading to a predisposition to mesothelioma suggest that the causative effect of asbestos may be associated with shorter latencies in a subset of patients. Here, we describe a male patient with germline mutations in RAD51 and p53 who developed peritoneal mesothelioma 8.5 years after well-documented asbestos exposure and discuss the current literature on the subject. Mesothelioma in situ is now a WHO-accepted diagnosis, but preliminary data reveal a potential lead time of 5 or more years to invasive disease, and this is also a factor which may affect the recording of latency (and potentially survival) in the future.

Keywords: mesothelioma; latency; genetic predisposition syndrome; mesothelioma in situ; BAP1; RAD51; TP53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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