Craighead J E
Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Recent Results Cancer Res. 2011;189:13-25. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-10862-4_2.
Mesothelioma is a "new" malignant disease strongly associated with exposure to amphibole asbestos exposure (amosite and crocidolite) environmentally and in the work place. Nonetheless, in recent years, we have learned that many cases of mesothelioma are idiopathic, while some are caused by therapeutic irradiation or chronic inflammation in body cavities. This paper reviews the key epidemiological features of the malignancy in the context of the biological and mineralogical factors that influence mesothelioma development. These tumors challenge the diagnostic pathologist's acumen, the epidemiologist's skill in devising meaningful and definitive studies, the industrial hygienist's knowledge of environmental hazards in diverse occupational settings, and the clinician's skill in managing an intrepid and uniformly fatal malignancy.
间皮瘤是一种“新型”恶性疾病，在环境和工作场所中与接触闪石类石棉（铁石棉和青石棉）密切相关。然而，近年来我们了解到，许多间皮瘤病例是特发性的，而有些则是由治疗性辐射或体腔慢性炎症引起的。本文在影响间皮瘤发生发展的生物学和矿物学因素背景下，综述了这种恶性肿瘤的关键流行病学特征。这些肿瘤对诊断病理学家的敏锐度、流行病学家设计有意义且明确研究的技能、工业卫生学家对不同职业环境中环境危害的了解以及临床医生管理这种棘手且无一例外致命的恶性肿瘤的技能都构成了挑战。
