Risk for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Keeps Rising Decades After Exposure
Pleural mesothelioma risk may level off over several decades, but the risk for peritoneal mesothelioma never goes down. That is the conclusion of researchers at Italy’s University of Eastern Piedmont. It is based on data from more than 50,000 asbestos-exposed Italian workers. More than 40 years after asbestos exposure, the workers’ risk for peritoneal mesothelioma continued to rise. Calculating Mesothelioma Rates Over Time Asbestos is the primary cause of all types of malignant mesothelioma. Even short-term asbestos exposure raises the risk for peritoneal mesothelioma and pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the abdomen. Pleural mesothelioma tumors start on the lining around the lungs. If asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they embed themselves in these linings. This…