title: Analysis of latency time and its determinants in asbestos related malignant mesothelioma cases of the Italian register.
abstract: Italy was an important producer of raw asbestos until 1992 (when it was banned) and it is now experiencing severe public health consequences due to large-scale industrial use of asbestos in shipbuilding and repair, asbestos-cement production, railways, buildings, chemicals and many other industrial sectors. Latency of malignant mesothelioma generally shows a large variability and the relationship with the modality of asbestos exposure is still not fully clarified. We present an analysis of latency period among the case list collected by the Italian mesothelioma register (ReNaM) in the period of diagnosis 1993-2001 (2544 malignant mesothelioma (MM) cases with asbestos exposure history). Exposure is assessed retrospectively by interview. Statistical univariate analyses were performed to estimate median and variability measures of latency time by anatomical site, gender and diagnosis period. The role of diagnostic confidence level, the morphology of the tumour and the modalities of asbestos exposure were verified in a regression multivariate model. We found a median latency period of 44.6 years increasing in recent years with a linear trend. Anatomical site, gender and morphology were not relevant for MM latency time whereas a shorter latency period was documented among occupationally exposed subjects (43 years) with respect to environmentally and household exposed ones (48 years).
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention (ISPESL), Occupational Medicine Department, Epidemiology Unit, Via Alessandria 220/E, 00198 Rome, Italy. alessandro.marinaccio@ispesl.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marinaccio
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Binazzi
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cauzillo
authors.forename: Domenica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cavone
authors.forename: Renata De
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Zotti
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrante
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gennaro
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gorini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menegozzo
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mensi
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merler
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mirabelli
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Montanaro
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musti
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pannelli
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romanelli
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scarselli
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tumino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001194:Asbestos