The history of mesothelioma, or its “epidemiology”, officially began in the 1960’s, when mesothelioma was accepted as a separate and unique form of lung cancer. However, lung diseases that resembled the present-day disease indicates that mesothelioma history dates back much further. Mesothelioma lung cancer may be caused by a number of carcinogens (cancer causing agents), however asbestos exposure is the most common factor among the majority of mesothelioma patients.
Since we now know that it is caused by asbestos fibers that lodge in the body’s organs and migrate to the mesothelium, we can deduce that the history of mesothelioma dates back to the first century AD as is evident by earthenware artifacts discovered in Finland that contained the substance. The Greeks also used asbestos for its heat resistance and insulating properties and noted respiratory illnesses that were prevalent among laborers that worked directly with the asbestos.
Much of the modern history of mesothelioma related to making the connection between the carcinogen that cause the disease and the cancer itself.
Early in Contemporary Mesothelioma History
In the late 1800’s, autopsy reports on asbestos mine workers revealed lung conditions very reminiscent of present-day mesothelioma patients. As early as 1906, asbestos was known to be related to the cases of at least 50 who died of lung diseases. The first believed report of peritoneal mesothelioma (mesothelioma in the abdominal cavity) was described by Miller and Wynn in 1908. The history of mesothelioma also includes turning point events such as the first documented case of asbestosis in the mid 1920’s and the 1930’s saw that 25% of asbestos workers developed asbestosis, leading doctors to consider that the length of asbestos exposure could be linked to related illnesses.
Another important moment in the history of mesothelioma occurred the 1930’s when doctors Henry K. Pancoast and Eugene P. Pendergrass, along with a Dr. Soper, published a report that documented the lengthy latency period of asbestos related lung disease. This report chronicled that the disease may not begin to develop until at least twenty five years following exposure to asbestos fibers, even in cases where the patient discontinued the exposure.
The first case of documented asbestos related lung cancer in the United states didn’t occur until 1933. In present-day America, one in every one hundred and twenty five male deaths over the age of 50 years old can be linked to asbestos exposure. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor published reports indicating the link between dust particulate concentration and the number of asbestos related diseases later, in the mid-1930’s.
The first known compensation for occupation related asbestos related cancer began the history of mesothelioma law in Germany in 1941 after shipyard workers developed asbestosis. Germany went a step further the following year and concluded that asbestos related lung cancer was compensable to all workers who were expected to come into contact with asbestos.
The table below describes many of the “firsts” that occurred in the early history of mesothelioma.
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Important “Firsts” in the Contemporary History of Mesothelioma |
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Year |
Event |
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1899 |
First reported case of asbestosis. |
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1906 |
First correlation between asbestos and lung cancer. |
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1908 |
First description of peritoneal mesothelioma by Miller and Winn. |
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1924 |
First report of asbestosis in British documentation. |
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1930 |
First time asbestos exposure rates are linked to lung diseases. |
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1930 |
First time in mesothelioma history that the latency period is discovered. |
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1933 |
First time a US insulation laborer was documented with asbestosis. |
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1933 |
Donnelly noted that job sites do not provide adequate protection. |
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1935 |
Likely one of the most important firsts in mesothelioma history, Pennsylvania correlated dust to disease. |
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1935 |
First documented case of lung cancer in correlation with asbestosis in the US. |
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1941 |
First case of compensation for asbestos related disease; awarded to a German shipyard worker. |
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1942 |
First known declaration that asbestosis and lung cancer are compensable diseases due to occupational exposure to carcinogens; Germany. |
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1943 |
The first case of pleural mesothelioma was documented by Welder. |
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1946 |
United States Navy shipyards recognized elevate levels of asbestos dust during manufacturing processes and the likelihood of asbestos related diseases. |
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1947 |
thirty one of every one 125 asbestosis deaths are discovered to have lung cancer during autopsy, making this a probable point of statistically identification mesothelioma history. (Merewether) |
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1955 |
Doll reported that nearly 10% of asbestos textile laborers with more than twenty years of exposure died of lung cancer |
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1958 |
First Dutch case of pleural mesothelioma in an insulation occupation |
Modern Mesothelioma History
The table below describes the important “firsts” in the history of mesothelioma that occurred in the last half of the 1960’s, when treatment became the primary focus.
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Moments in the Modern History of Mesothelioma |
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Year |
Event |
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1960 |
Wagner reported that nearly all mesothelioma patients were exposed to asbestos in an occupational role; arguably the most significant connection between exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma diagnosis in the history of mesothelioma. |
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1963 |
Plant workers in the United States are documented as having a higher rate of death when exposed to asbestos. |
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1964 |
A mass statistical study of how excessive dust relates to lung cancer and mesothelioma deaths, testing over 1000 exposed persons. |
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1965 |
Mesothelioma discovered in families of asbestos workers, indicating the dangers of second hand exposure. |
Mesothelioma history is still in the making. New research about how asbestos causes mesothelioma may provide a way for oncologists to target this rare and specific form of cancer. What is known to date is that there is paradox in the way asbestos causes cancer; asbestos kills the cells it contacts, so how can it cause them to mutate into cancer? Brand new studies show the potential discovery of a chemical molecule produced during the process of necrosis (cell death) that migrate to other, healthy cells that mutate. Attacking that molecule is currently under clinical trials in a remote area of Turkey, where half of the population suffers mesothelioma.
Because mesothelioma is so rare, little is really known about the disease and new information is released by the medical community on a regular basis. Modern therapies used to treat mesothelioma are the same as those used to treat other cancers, but aren’t as effective. Identifying the cause of the paradox could be the biggest moment in the history of mesothelioma, if treatments are successful.
