Malignant Mesothelioma Deaths On the Rise Despite Regulations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent report on mesothelioma mortality, malignant mesothelioma deaths have increased 4.8% overall from 1999 to 2015, despite preventative measures to reduce asbestos exposure.

In the report, the researchers identified malignant mesothelioma deaths using death certificates from 1999 to 2015. Age-adjusted death rates per 1 million persons aged 25 years and older by demographics, neoplasm anatomical site, and year were calculated using the 2000 US Census standard population estimate.
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A total of 45,221 deaths from malignant mesothelioma occurred from 1999 to 2015, 36,093 (79.8%) of which occurred in males, and 16,914 (37.4%) of which occurred in persons aged 75-84 years old. Mesothelioma of pleura accounted for 3,351 (7.4%) of deaths, mesothelioma of peritoneum for 1,854 (4.1%) of deaths, “other anatomic site” classification of mesothelioma for 5,280 (11.7%) of deaths, and “unspecified anatomic site” classification for 35,068 (77.5%) of deaths.

Overall, the annual number of malignant mesothelioma deaths increased overall by 4.8% in the United States from 2479 deaths in 1999 to 2579 deaths in 2015. Deaths from malignant mesothelioma increased in individuals aged 85 years and older, and increases were also observed in both sexes; white, black, Asian or Pacific Islander race and all ethnic groups; as well as in patients with mesothelioma of the peritoneum and unspecified anatomic site. Deaths from mesothelioma decreased in individuals 35 to 64, 45 to 54, and 55 to 64 years of age, as well as in patients with mesothelioma of the pleura and other anatomic sites.

“During 1999–2015, the mesothelioma age-adjusted death rate decreased 21.7% from 13.96 per million population (1999) to 10.93 (2015) (p-value for time trend <0.001),” the report stated.

“Despite regulatory actions and the decline in use of asbestos the annual number of malignant mesothelioma deaths remains substantial. The continuing occurrence of malignant mesothelioma deaths underscores the need for maintaining measures to prevent exposure to asbestos fibers and other causative [elongate mineral particles] and for ongoing surveillance to monitor temporal trends,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Mazurek JM, Syamlal G, Wood JM, Hendricks SA, and Weston A. Malignant mesothelioma mortality—United States, 1999-2015. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6608a3.htm?s_cid=mm6608a3_w. Published March 3, 2017. Accessed March 3, 2017.