Characterization of a French series of female cases of mesothelioma

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 56; no. 11; pp. 1307 - 1316
• Main Authors: Camiade, Elodie, Gramond, Celine, Jutand, Marthe-Aline, Audignon, Sabyne, Rinaldo, Mickael, Imbernon, Ellen, Luce, Daniele, Galateau-Sallé, Francoise, Astoul, Philippe, Pairon, Jean-Claude, Brochard, Patrick, Lacourt, Aude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2013; Wiley-Liss; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Aged; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Asbestos; Asbestos - poisoning; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinogens; Causality; Environment. Living conditions; environmental exposure; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Female; Females; Fibers; France - epidemiology; Humans; Life Sciences; Medical sciences; Mesothelioma; Mesothelioma - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Occupational medicine; Pleural Neoplasms - epidemiology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Radiotherapy - adverse effects; Respiratory diseases; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Santé publique et épidémiologie; women; X-Rays - adverse effects; France; Europe; Human; Asbestos; Mesothelioma; Occupational exposure; Epidemiology; Health and environment; Etiology; environmental exposure; Tumor; Environment; Woman; Non occupational; Occupational medicine; women; asbestos; mesothelioma; Women; Environmental Exposure
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22229

Background More than 80% of mesothelioma cases in men are attributable to occupational asbestos exposure compared to only 40% in women. The objective of the study was to characterize a series of female pleural mesotheliomas according to known and suspected risk factors. Methods From the exhaustive recording of 318 female mesothelioma cases in the French National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program between 1998 and 2009, multiple correspondence analysis and hybrid clustering were performed to characterize these cases according to expert assessed occupational and non‐occupational exposure to asbestos and man‐made vitreous fibers, X‐ray exposure, and history of cancer and non‐malignant respiratory diseases. Results Four clusters were identified: (1) occupational exposure to asbestos and man‐made vitreous fibers (7.9% of subjects); (2) radiation exposure during radiotherapy (12.9%); (3) increased asbestos exposure (19.8%); and (4) “non‐exposure” characteristics (59.4%). Conclusion These results will allow hypotheses to be generated about associations between mesothelioma and non‐occupational asbestos exposure, X‐ray exposure and history of respiratory disease. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:1307–1316, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.