Mesothelioma, asbestos, and reported history of cancer in first-degree relatives

• Published in: Cancer Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 549 - 554
• Main Authors: HEINEMAN, E. F, BERNSTEIN, L, STARK, A. D, SPIRTAS, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Wiley-Liss 01-02-1996
• Subjects: Asbestos - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Environmental Exposure; Epidemiology; Family; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mesothelioma - genetics; Pleural Neoplasms - genetics; Sex Factors; Tumors; United States; North America; America; Human; Family story; Malignant mesothelioma; Asbestos; Risk factor; First degree relatives; Exposure; Malignant tumor; Epidemiology; Public health; Antecedent
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19960201)77:3<549::AID-CNCR18>3.0.CO;2-4

Although malignant mesothelioma is known to be strongly related to asbestos exposure, its relationship to familial factors is unclear.
We compared reported histories of cancer in first-degree relatives, obtained from telephone interviews with the next-of-kin of 196 patients who had a pathologic diagnosis of mesothelioma, and with those from 511 decreased controls.
Among men exposed to asbestos, we found a statistically significant twofold elevation in the risk of mesothelioma for patients reporting cancer in two or more first-degree relatives. We found no significant elevation in women or among the small number of men without asbestos exposure. The next-of-kin of three patients (but no controls) reported a possible mesothelioma in a first-degree relative; asbestos exposure could not be ruled out in those relatives. Associations of asbestos with pleural mesothelioma were stronger among men with a reported family history of cancer than men without, although no statistical evidence of an interaction was detected.
These results provide suggestive, but limited, evidence that a family history of cancer may be a risk factor for mesothelioma, or may indicate an increased susceptibility to mesothelioma given asbestos exposure.