According to the American Cancer Society, mesothelioma affects men five times more often than women. The majority of increases and decreases in cases of mesothelioma have occurred in men, whereas rates have remained comparatively steady for women. Despite the fact that mesothelioma occurs more often in men, some studies have indicated women may be more susceptible to developing this aggressive asbestos cancer.

Case Studies of Women and Mesothelioma

A study published in Chest, a medical journal that focuses on the multiple disciplines of chest medicine, analyzed the relative risk of men versus women for developing malignant pleural mesothelioma from environmental exposure to asbestos in Turkey. The study found the relative risk was higher among women (159.8 per 100,000) than in men (114.8 per 100,000)-yet cohort studies from Australia, North America, and Europe have revealed a lower risk for women.

There are a number of plausible explanations for this discrepancy. First and foremost, cohort studies in Australia, North America, and Europe typically involve work-related cohorts, which are notoriously dominated by the male gender. Thus, men are so overrepresented in these cohorts that enough evidence has not been collected to aptly assess relative risks among women.

Another explanation for the elevated relative risk among women in this study is a possibly higher exposure to asbestos. Women in this region of the world typically take care of household "whitewashing," which involves the use of asbestos-contaminated soil and is associated with high levels of exposure. However, authors of the study extensively evaluated the cohort and could not find any significant difference in the exposure levels between men and women. Thus, possibility of higher levels of exposure among women was ruled out.

Some have proposed physiological differences between men and women may help explain the discrepancy. Researchers have proposed that those who are taller and have longer tracheas and larger lungs are more capable of expelling asbestos fibers. Thus, women, who have comparatively smaller lungs and shorter tracheas, experience more difficulty in ridding asbestos fibers from these areas.

A number of studies have also found that women are more susceptible to developing malignant peritoneal mesothelioma than men. One study found the ratio of peritoneal to pleural mesotheliomas to be significantly higher in women (1:2) than in men (1:5). The exact cause for these discrepancies has yet to be defined and further research is necessary to understand the apparent differences between men and women in regard to malignant mesothelioma.

Sources:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_malignant_ mesothelioma_29.asp?sitearea
Heller, D., Gordon, R., Clement, P., et al. Presence of asbestos in peritoneal malignant mesotheliomas in women. (1999). International Journal of Gynecological Cancer: 452-455.
Metintas, S., Metintas, M., Ucgun, I., et al. Malignant Mesothelioma Due to Environmental Exposure to Asbestos. (2002). Chest: 2224-2229.
http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/6/2224.
Smith, D. Women and Mesothelioma. (2002). Chest: 1885-1886. http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/122/6/1885.

Related News

Mesothelioma Lawsuits and Background Information
2008-10-10 09:22:38
The filing of a mesothelioma lawsuit is usually an attempt to recover damages that are associated with the contraction of the disease. In most cases, the person ...Read More
Mesothelioma Victim Inspires Widow to Sue John Crane
2008-10-01 13:27:24
A California widow, Regina Rohrer, has filed an asbestos-related lawsuit on behalf of her deceased husband. The lawsuit alleges that John Crane was responsible for her husband being exposed to asbesto ...Read More
Mesothelioma Awareness Day
2008-09-26 16:34:05
Today, September 26, is National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that most commonly develops from exposure to asbestos. Asbesto ...Read More