Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, Bernie Banton Centre, Australia.
Pathology. 2011 Apr;43(3):201-12. doi: 10.1097/PAT.0b013e3283445e67.
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumour affecting the mesothelial surfaces of the pleural and peritoneal cavities and, rarely, the pericardium and the tunica vaginalis testis. Despite a ban of asbestos in many industrialised nations, the present high incidence of MM is expected to continue, due to the long latency period between first asbestos exposure and occurrence of disease, making it an important health issue for the future. The diagnosis of MM can be difficult, both from a clinical and pathological perspective. It is not unusual for patients to undergo several medical investigations without definitive diagnosis early in their course of illness. Understandably, there is intense interest in the discovery of markers that can be assessed in pleural effusions, histological specimens, and serum to assist with the difficult early diagnosis of MM. Considering the primary aetiological role of asbestos, there is theoretically an easily identifiable target population for screening with a biomarker with adequate sensitivity and specificity or with a combination of biomarkers. In this review we focus on biomarkers that have been examined in the setting of either early diagnosis of MM in symptomatic patients or screening of asbestos-exposed individuals.
恶性间皮瘤（MM）是一种侵袭性肿瘤，影响胸膜和腹膜腔的间皮表面，很少影响心包和睾丸鞘膜。尽管许多工业化国家已经禁止使用石棉，但由于首次接触石棉与发病之间存在较长的潜伏期，目前 MM 的高发病率预计将持续下去，这使其成为未来的一个重要健康问题。从临床和病理的角度来看，MM 的诊断都可能具有一定难度。在疾病早期，患者通常要经历多次医学检查而无法明确诊断，这并不罕见。可以理解的是，人们对发现可用于胸腔积液、组织标本和血清的标志物非常感兴趣，这些标志物可以帮助早期诊断 MM，尽管存在难度。鉴于石棉的主要病因学作用，理论上可以用具有足够敏感性和特异性的生物标志物或生物标志物组合，对一个容易识别的目标人群进行筛查。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了在有症状患者的 MM 早期诊断或暴露于石棉个体的筛查中进行过检查的生物标志物。
