Mesothelioma Research

As if there were any doubt that asbestos exposure is the only proven cause of malignant mesothelioma, a team of German scientists recently analyzed a number of lung tissue samples from patients with the disease.

What they found reconfirmed the connection between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. Published in the research compilation Malignant Mesothelioma, their results indicated that nearly all patients with the condition had been exposed to asbestos at some point.

The team, who hailed from the University Hospital Bergmannsheil in Bochum, Germany, used lung dust analysis to determine the type of mineral fibers most commonly found in tissue samples.

They also weighed age of diagnosis against probable age of asbestos exposure. The group found that the average latency period of the disease was 42.5 years, a figure similar to that derived from American patient data.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates that the average latency period of mesothelioma is 46 years. This organization also agrees with the general conclusion of the German study, which was, in brief, that "the most important causal factor for the development of mesothelioma is still asbestos exposure."