Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, home of the renowned International Mesothelioma Program, released a study investigating the characteristics of malignant mesothelioma in women.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Because there is no cure for this disease, the mesothelioma life expectancy for most patients ranges between four and 18 months after diagnosis. In general, life expectancy is the same for women as it is for men, although the means by which women were exposed to asbestos can differ from men. Women appear to exhibit better long-term survival than men, but the reason for this is still largely a mystery to researchers.
This study reviewed 715 cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and evaluated the role of gender in known prognostic factors for this cancer. The incidence of mesothelioma is higher in men due to the fact that men were more likely to hold jobs in occupations known for asbestos exposure (such as labor jobs in shipbuilding, manufacturing and construction).
There were 702 patients with complete data available. Of those patients, 114 out of 450 patients with epithelial tumors and 31 out of 252 patients with nonepithelial mesothelioma were women. Women with epithelial mesothelioma were found to differ significantly from men in regards to to younger age, higher rate of thrombocytosis, and longer survival after surgery.
Women with epithelial mesothelioma seemed to have improved survival when researchers controlled for age, stage, thrombocytosis, leukocytosis and anemia. No significant differences in survival were observed among patients with nonepithelial disease with regard to gender, age or anemia.
In conclusion, researchers found, “In the absence of other negative prognostic factors, women with epithelial MPM demonstrated a survival advantage. These findings support an aggressive approach to treating MPM including extrapleural pneumonectomy in individuals with favorable prognostic predictors, particularly women with epithelial histology and no other risk factors.”
Additional information on mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.