title: Gender-related differences in the distribution of thoracic versus abdominal malignant mesothelioma.
abstract: The relationship between malignant mesothelioma (MM) and asbestos is well established, but the determinants of host factor susceptibility of MM are not. This study probes susceptibility issues by examining gender-related differences in the distribution of 417 thoracic and 42 abdominal cases of MM from 1988-1989 California Cancer Registry databases. The age-adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for male/female thoracic MM was 6.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]; 5.0-9.6) consistent with greater occupational exposure among men. However, the IRR for male/female abdominal MM was 1.5 (95% CI: 0.6-3.6). Also, average age of onset for thoracic MM was greater than for abdominal MM. Thus, some abdominal MMs may be due to nonoccupational asbestos exposure, occurring over a lifetime, interacting with host factor susceptibility. This study gives impetus to research regarding the importance of host factors and nonoccupational asbestos exposure in the etiology of malignant mesothelioma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Delfino
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anton-Culver
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Saltzstein
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*