The Association between the Histological Subtypes of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Characteristics

Trudie Vorster (), Julian Mthombeni, Jim teWaterNaude and James Ian Phillips
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Trudie Vorster: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
Julian Mthombeni: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
Jim teWaterNaude: Diagnostic Medicine, Cape Town 7708, South Africa
James Ian Phillips: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: Asbestos mining operations have left South Africa with a legacy of asbestos contamination and asbestos-related diseases continue to be a problem. The large-scale mining of three types of asbestos presents a unique opportunity to study malignant mesothelioma of the pleura (mesothelioma) in South Africa. This study aimed to describe the demographics of deceased individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma and explore any associations between the histological morphology of mesothelioma and asbestos characteristics. We reviewed the records of all deceased miners and ex-miners from the Pathology Automation System (PATHAUT) database of the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) that were histologically diagnosed with mesothelioma in the period from January 2006–December 2016 (11 years). The study population does not include all cases of mesothelioma in South Africa but rather those that reached the compensation system. Crocidolite asbestos fibres were identified in the majority of mesothelioma cases ( n = 140; 53.4%). The epithelioid subtype was most commonly present in both occupational and environmental cases. Cases with the sarcomatous subtype were older at death and fewer female cases were diagnosed with this subtype. No relationship between mesothelioma subtype and asbestos type or asbestos burden or fibre size was established.

Keywords: mesothelioma; subtypes; PATHAUT; asbestos type; asbestos burden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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