Korean J Occup Environ Med.
2006 Mar;18(1):46-52.
Epidemiologic Characteristics Revealed with a Malignant Mesothelioma Surveillance System in Korea
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Pathology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Korea.
- 2Department of Preventive Medicine, Industrial Medical Center, The Catholic University of Korea, Korea. cyclor@catholic.ac.kr
- 3Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute of Occupational Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Korea.
- 4Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Korea.
- 5Korea Labor Welfare Corporation, Korea.
- 6Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea.
- 7Department of Pathology School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Korea.
- 8Department of Pathology, Chonbuk National University, Medical School, Korea.
- 9Department of Pathology, Konyang University College of Medicine, Korea.
- 10Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Kwandong University, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study estimated the magnitude of malignant mesothelioma and its epidemiologic features in Korea. We collected data on 160 cases for the 5-year period from 2001 to 2005.
METHODS
We established a surveillance system for malignant mesothelioma in 2001. The important participants were pathologists, and respiratory and occupational physicians. We reclassified these cases according to the date of diagnosis and calculated fatality by comparing National Mortality Data. We actively surveyed 18 cases which were diagnosed in 2004 and 2005 to evaluate their work-relatedness.
RESULTS
Among 160 cases, 18 were initially diagnosed before 1995, 57 from 1996 to 2000, 11 in 2001, 18 in 2002, 11 in 2003, 29 in 2004 and 16 in 2005. After 2001, 17cases were reported annually. Among the 86 cases which were diagnosed before 2003, 60 cases (69.8%) had died and 46(53.5%) had died within 1 year. Among the 18 cases which we surveyed, 5 were related with the construction industry, 2 with asbestos textile manufacturing industries and 1 with asbestos painting. There was no evident work relatedness in the other 10 cases, but 6 were related to environmental exposure.
CONCLUSIONS
Although this surveillance system revealed the magnitude of malignant mesothelioma in Korea, it needs to be supplemented by an active surveillance system using death certificate data and cancer registry data etc.
