Mesothelioma causes

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Fatima Shaukat, MD [2]Parminder Dhingra, M.D. [3]

## Overview[edit | edit source]

Common causes of mesothelioma include asbestos-fibre exposure, erionite-fibre exposure, Simian virus 40, radiation exposure and genetic predesposition[1][2]

## Causes[edit | edit source]

Mesothelioma is caused by:[1][2]

* Asbestos-fibre exposure: causes majority of cases
* Erionite-fibre exposure
* Simian virus 40 (SV40)
* Radiation exposure
* Genetic predisposition

### Asbestos[edit | edit source]

* The strongest and most common cause for mesothelioma is occupational exposure to asbestos, which has been widely used in building materials and many industries.[1]
* Asbestos is naturally occurring group of mineral consisting of very fine,long and thin fibers.
* Being so fine, they can be inhaled easily and may be lodged in the smallest airways of the lung and the mesothelium, eventually leading to pleural mesothelioma.
* Sometimes, instead of inhalation, the fibers are coughed up and swallowed. This way they can settle in the peritoneum to cause peritoneal mesothelioma.
* According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US National Toxicology Program, all forms of asbestos are known to cause cancer. Most people with mesothelioma have a history of asbestos exposure.
* Mesothelioma has a long latency period, which means it usually doesn’t develop for 15–40, or more, years after exposure to asbestos.
* There are 2 types of exposure to asbestos:
* Direct exposure affects people who come into contact with asbestos directly. This may include:[1] [3]
* Asbestos mines/mills workers
* Asbestos products/asbestos-based products producers
* Construction workers, carpenters and painters
* Shipyard workers
* Cement manufacturers
* Insulation workers
* Electricians and heating tradespeople
* Plumbers
* Demolition workers
* Automotive industry workers, including brake and clutch repair workers
* Indirect exposure affects people who come in contact with asbestos in other ways. This may include:[1]
* Family members who are exposed to asbestos from fibres brought home on a worker’s clothing
* People who live in or near an asbestos factory or mine

* The risk of developing mesothelioma is related to how much asbestos a person was exposed to and how long the exposure lasted.
* People exposed at an early age, for a long period of time and to greater amounts of asbestos are more likely to develop mesothelioma.
* Occasionally, mesothelioma develops in people who have never been exposed to asbestos.[4]

### Erionite[edit | edit source]

* Erionite is another naturally occurring mineral, happens to be a known human carcinogen associated with development of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma.
* The group of minerals, erionite belongs to is called zeolites.[1]
* Zeolites are chemically related to asbestos and erionite has asbestos-like fibres.
* Erionite is common in the soil in parts of Turkey and materials made with erionite are used in construction in these regions.
* High rates of mesothelioma in these areas are due to exposure to this mineral.[1]

### Ionizing Radiation[edit | edit source]

* People who have been treated with radiation therapy to the chest or abdomen for lymphoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, or other cancers can cause mesothelioma.[1]
* Although the risk of mesothelioma is higher in people who have been treated with radiation therapy, mesothelioma is likely to occur in only a very small number of these people.
* There have been reports linking mesothelioma to Thorotrast (thorium dioxide). Thorotrast is a contrast medium once used for imaging tests, but it is no longer used.[1]

### Simian virus 40[edit | edit source]

* Infection with SV40 may cause mesothelioma.
* Evidence suggested the contamination of polio vaccines with SV40 from 1955 to 1963, which may have contributed to some cases of mesothelioma.
* It is thought that SV40 may act as a co-factor with asbestos in causing mesothelioma.[1]

### Genetic predesposition[edit | edit source]

* Based on the fact that malignant mesothelioma clustering was observed in few families, a study was conducted in 2012 on caucasian american population to determine the genetic association.

* It was found that people with a somatic germline mutation in their BAP1 gene is associated with higher risk of developing mesothelioma and uveal melanoma.[2]

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Risk factors for mesothelioma. Canadian cancer society 2016. http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/mesothelioma/risks/?region=on. Accessed on February 8, 2016
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Testa JR, Cheung M, Pei J, Below JE, Tan Y, Sementino E; et al. (2011). "Germline BAP1 mutations predispose to malignant mesothelioma". Nat Genet. 43 (10): 1022–5. doi:10.1038/ng.912. PMC 3184199. PMID 21874000.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ↑ Gennaro V, Finkelstein MM, Ceppi M, Fontana V, Montanaro F, Perrotta A; et al. (2000). "Mesothelioma and lung tumors attributable to asbestos among petroleum workers". Am J Ind Med. 37 (3): 275–82. PMID 10642417.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link) CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ↑ Henderson DW, Rödelsperger K, Woitowitz HJ, Leigh J (2004). "After Helsinki: a multidisciplinary review of the relationship between asbestos exposure and lung cancer, with emphasis on studies published during 1997-2004". Pathology. 36 (6): 517–50. PMID 15841689.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)

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