Peritoneal mesothelioma and asbestos exposure: a population-based case-control study in Lombardy, Italy

Dario Consonni, Cristina Calvi, Sara De Matteis, Dario Mirabelli, Maria Teresa Landi, Neil E Caporaso, Susan Peters, Roel Vermeulen, Hans Kromhout, Barbara Dallari, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Luciano Riboldi, Carolina Mensi

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    OBJECTIVES: Asbestos is the main risk factor for peritoneal mesothelioma (PeM). However, due to its rarity, PeM has rarely been investigated in community-based studies. We examined the association between asbestos exposure and PeM risk in a general population in Lombardy, Italy.

    METHODS: From the regional mesothelioma registry, we selected PeM cases diagnosed in 2000-2015. Population controls (matched by area, gender and age) came from two case-control studies in Lombardy on lung cancer (2002-2004) and pleural mesothelioma (2014). Assessment of exposure to asbestos was performed through a quantitative job-exposure matrix (SYN-JEM) and expert evaluation based on a standardised questionnaire. We calculated period-specific and gender-specific OR and 90% CI using conditional logistic regression adjusted for age, province of residence and education.

    RESULTS: We selected 68 cases and 2116 controls (2000-2007) and 159 cases and 205 controls (2008-2015). The ORs for ever asbestos exposure (expert-based, 2008-2015 only) were 5.78 (90% CI 3.03 to 11.0) in men and 8.00 (2.56 to 25.0) in women; the ORs for definite occupational exposure were 12.3 (5.62 to 26.7) in men and 14.3 (3.16 to 65.0) in women. The ORs for ever versus never occupational asbestos exposure based on SYN-JEM (both periods) were 2.05 (90% CI 1.39 to 3.01) in men and 1.62 (0.79 to 3.27) in women. In men, clear positive associations were found for duration, cumulative exposure (OR 1.33 (1.19 to 1.48) per fibres/mL-years) and latency.

    CONCLUSIONS: Using two different methods of exposure assessment we provided evidence of a clear association between asbestos exposure and PeM risk in the general population.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)545-553
    Number of pages9
    JournalOccupational and Environmental Medicine
    Volume76
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019

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