Study examines association of asbestos exposure, mesothelioma in Eastern China

A new research letter published online by JAMA Oncology looks at asbestos exposure and malignant mesothelioma in Eastern China.

The study examined tumors diagnosed as malignant mesothelioma from 2002 through 2015 at two Chinese hospitals - one in Hangzhou, China, where there is no asbestos industry and one in Yuyao, China, located in the Chinese textile asbestos industrial area, where most patients are exposed to asbestos.

The authors reviewed 92 malignant mesotheliomas and confirmed the diagnosis in 28 patients from the hospital in Hangzhou and in 24 patients from Yuyao.

The male-to-female ratio was 1 to 4 compared to 4 to 1 in the U.S. Also, 20 of the 52 malignant mesotheliomas occurred in asbestos-exposed individuals at the Hangzhou location and 18 of 24 at Yuyao.