Mesothelioma etiology

The cause and mechanism of the pathogenesis are still unclear, and may be related to the following factors:

1. Long-term exposure to asbestos is considered to be the main pathogenic factor for this tumor

Almost all types of asbestos fibers are related to the pathogenesis of mesothelioma, but the risk of each fiber is not the same, the most dangerous is exposure to crocidolite, and the least dangerous is exposure to yellow asbestos. The incubation period from the first exposure to asbestos to onset is generally 20 to 40 years, and the incidence of mesothelioma is proportional to the time and severity of exposure to asbestos. The causes of asbestos are as follows:

1) Animal experiments

Asbestos solution can induce pleural mesothelioma.

2) Malignant mesothelioma

Asbestos fibers are found in malignant mesothelioma.

3) Asbestos workers

Especially for those who have worked for 20 to 40 years, the autopsy found that the incidence of mesothelioma is as high as 3.1%.

2. Other non-asbestos causes

Exposure to natural mineral fibers, chronic infection of the pleural space (tuberculous pleurisy), and recurrent lung infections. There are also reports of cases of pleural mesothelioma caused by exposure to radiation. The time from exposure to radiation to the discovery of pleural mesothelioma is 7 to 36 years, with an average of 16 years.

3. Simian disease 40 (SV40) infection

In patients without a history of asbestos exposure, 30% to 50% may be associated with SV40 infection. During the polio epidemic, millions of Americans could have been infected with SV40 from the Salk vaccine. Recently, SV40 was isolated in patients with brain tumors and mesothelioma. Carbone and colleagues isolated SV40 fragments in 60% of mesothelioma patients and successfully induced mesothelioma after intrathoracic injection of SV40 in rats.