title: Familial malignant mesothelioma: a population-based study in central Italy (1980-2012).
abstract: Malignant mesothelioma is a sporadic cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Its occurrence among blood relatives (familial mesothelioma) may point to genetic susceptibility or shared exposures. The burden of the familial disease is unknown. The aims of the study were to assess at population level the proportion of familial mesotheliomas among all mesotheliomas and to investigate the family history of cancer among relatives of mesothelioma cases. We actively searched familial clusters based on a mesothelioma registry from central Italy (5.5 million people, 10% of the Italian population) of the National Mesothelioma Register network (ReNaM) as well as a pathology-based archive. Among 997 incident mesotheliomas recorded in a 32-year-period (1980-2012), we detected 13 clusters and 34 familial cases, accounting for 3.4% of all mesotheliomas. The most common clusters where those with affected siblings and unaffected parents. Asbestos exposure was occupational (n=7 clusters), household (n=2), environmental (n=1), or not attributable for insufficient information (n=3). There were 25 additional cancers in nine families. Some were cancer sites for which there is sufficient evidence (lung and larynx) or limited evidence (stomach and colon) of causal association with asbestos. The results suggest potential genetic recessive effects in mesothelioma that interact with asbestos exposure, but it is not possible to estimate the specific proportion attributable to each of these components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomo-Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena, 324, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: valeria.ascoli@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ascoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Via di Santa Costanza, 53, 00198 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Romeo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Via di Santa Costanza, 53, 00198 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carnovale Scalzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Via di Santa Costanza, 53, 00198 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cozzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Via di Santa Costanza, 53, 00198 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ancona
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene-Asbestos Regional Center, Local Health Unit, Via Nepesina, 1/a, 01033 Civita Castellana, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavariani
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene-Asbestos Regional Center, Local Health Unit, Via Nepesina, 1/a, 01033 Civita Castellana, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balestri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene-Asbestos Regional Center, Local Health Unit, Via Nepesina, 1/a, 01033 Civita Castellana, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gasperini
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Via di Santa Costanza, 53, 00198 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forastiere
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001194:Asbestos / Q000506:poisoning; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D000086002:Mesothelioma, Malignant; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D001194:Asbestos
keywords: Asbestos exposure; Family history; Italy; Lung cancer; Malignant mesothelioma