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International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2019This review updates the scientific literature concerning asbestos and lung cancer, emphasizing cumulative exposure and synergism between asbestos exposure and tobacco... (Review)
Review
This review updates the scientific literature concerning asbestos and lung cancer, emphasizing cumulative exposure and synergism between asbestos exposure and tobacco smoke, and proposes an evidence-based and equitable approach to compensation for asbestos-related lung cancer cases. This update is based on several earlier reviews written by the second and third authors on asbestos and lung cancer since 1995. We reevaluated the peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies. In addition, selected in vivo and in vitro animal studies and molecular and cellular studies in humans were included. We conclude that the mechanism of lung cancer causation induced by the interdependent coaction of asbestos fibers and tobacco smoke at a biological level is a multistage stochastic process with both agents acting conjointly at all times. The new knowledge gained through this review provides the evidence for synergism between asbestos exposure and tobacco smoke in lung cancer causation at a biological level. The evaluated statistical data conform best to a multiplicative model for the interaction effects of asbestos and smoking on the lung cancer risk, with no requirement for asbestosis. Any asbestos exposure, even in a heavy smoker, contributes to causation. Based on this information, we propose criteria for the attribution of lung cancer to asbestos in smokers and non-smokers.
Topics: Animals; Asbestos; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Mesothelioma; Occupational Exposure; Tobacco Smoking
PubMed: 31905913
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17010258 -
Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia :... 2021Malignant mesotheliomas are rare types of cancers that affect the mesothelial surfaces, usually the pleura and peritoneum. They are associated with asbestos exposure,... (Review)
Review
Malignant mesotheliomas are rare types of cancers that affect the mesothelial surfaces, usually the pleura and peritoneum. They are associated with asbestos exposure, but due to a latency period of more than 30 years and difficult diagnosis, most cases are not detected until they reach advanced stages. Treatment options for this tumor type are very limited and survival ranges from 12 to 36 months. This review discusses the molecular physiopathology, current diagnosis, and latest therapeutic options for this disease.
Topics: Asbestos; Humans; Mesothelioma; Mesothelioma, Malignant; Pleura; Pleural Neoplasms
PubMed: 34909922
DOI: 10.36416/1806-3756/e20210129 -
Thoracic Surgery Clinics Nov 2020Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, aggressive malignancy of the pleural lining associated with asbestos exposure in greater than 80% of cases. It is... (Review)
Review
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, aggressive malignancy of the pleural lining associated with asbestos exposure in greater than 80% of cases. It is characterized by molecular heterogeneity both between patients and within individual tumors. Next-generation sequencing technology and novel computational techniques have resulted in a greater understanding of the epigenetic, genetic, and transcriptomic hallmarks of MPM. This article reviews these features and discusses the implications of advances in MPM molecular biology in clinical practice.
Topics: Asbestos; Computational Biology; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gene Expression; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Mesothelioma, Malignant; Pleural Neoplasms; Transcriptome
PubMed: 33012428
DOI: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2020.08.005 -
CA: a Cancer Journal For Clinicians Sep 2019Mesothelioma affects mostly older individuals who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos. The global mesothelioma incidence and mortality rates are unknown,... (Review)
Review
Mesothelioma affects mostly older individuals who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos. The global mesothelioma incidence and mortality rates are unknown, because data are not available from developing countries that continue to use large amounts of asbestos. The incidence rate of mesothelioma has decreased in Australia, the United States, and Western Europe, where the use of asbestos was banned or strictly regulated in the 1970s and 1980s, demonstrating the value of these preventive measures. However, in these same countries, the overall number of deaths from mesothelioma has not decreased as the size of the population and the percentage of old people have increased. Moreover, hotspots of mesothelioma may occur when carcinogenic fibers that are present in the environment are disturbed as rural areas are being developed. Novel immunohistochemical and molecular markers have improved the accuracy of diagnosis; however, about 14% (high-resource countries) to 50% (developing countries) of mesothelioma diagnoses are incorrect, resulting in inadequate treatment and complicating epidemiological studies. The discovery that germline BRCA1-asssociated protein 1 (BAP1) mutations cause mesothelioma and other cancers (BAP1 cancer syndrome) elucidated some of the key pathogenic mechanisms, and treatments targeting these molecular mechanisms and/or modulating the immune response are being tested. The role of surgery in pleural mesothelioma is controversial as it is difficult to predict who will benefit from aggressive management, even when local therapies are added to existing or novel systemic treatments. Treatment outcomes are improving, however, for peritoneal mesothelioma. Multidisciplinary international collaboration will be necessary to improve prevention, early detection, and treatment.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Asbestos; Australia; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinogenesis; Combined Modality Therapy; Diagnostic Errors; Europe; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Germ-Line Mutation; Global Burden of Disease; Humans; Incidence; Inhalation Exposure; International Cooperation; Mesothelioma; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Occupational Exposure; Pleura; Pleural Neoplasms; Pneumonectomy; Prognosis; Tumor Suppressor Proteins; Ubiquitin Thiolesterase; United States
PubMed: 31283845
DOI: 10.3322/caac.21572 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2023Theories of disease pathogenesis following asbestos exposure have focused on the participation of iron. After exposure, an open network of negatively charged functional... (Review)
Review
Theories of disease pathogenesis following asbestos exposure have focused on the participation of iron. After exposure, an open network of negatively charged functional groups on the fiber surface complexes host metals with a preference for iron. Competition for iron between the host and the asbestos results in a functional metal deficiency. The homeostasis of iron in the host is modified by the cell response, including increased import to correct the loss of the metal to the fiber surface. The biological effects of asbestos develop in response to and are associated with the disruption of iron homeostasis. Cell iron deficiency in the host following fiber exposure activates kinases and transcription factors, which are associated with the release of mediators coordinating both inflammatory and fibrotic responses. Relative to serpentine chrysotile, the clearance of amphiboles is incomplete, resulting in translocation to the mesothelial surface of the pleura. Since the biological effect of asbestos is dependent on retention of the fiber, the sequestration of iron by the surface, and functional iron deficiency in the cell, the greater clearance (i.e., decreased persistence) of chrysotile results in its diminished impact. An inability to clear asbestos from the lower respiratory tract initiates a host process of iron biomineralization (i.e., asbestos body formation). Host cells attempt to mobilize the metal sequestered by the fiber surface by producing superoxide at the phagosome membrane. The subsequent ferrous cation is oxidized and undergoes hydrolysis, creating poorly crystalline iron oxyhydroxide (i.e., ferrihydrite) included in the coat of the asbestos body.
PubMed: 37569765
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512390 -
Cells Feb 2020The link between asbestos exposure and the onset of thoracic malignancies is well established. However epidemiological studies have provided evidences that asbestos may... (Review)
Review
The link between asbestos exposure and the onset of thoracic malignancies is well established. However epidemiological studies have provided evidences that asbestos may be also involved in the development of gastrointestinal tumors, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). In line with this observation, asbestos fibers have been detected in the liver of patients with ICC. Although the exact mechanism still remains unknown, the presence of asbestos fibers in the liver could be explained in the light of their translocation pathway following ingestion/inhalation. In the liver, thin and long asbestos fibers could remain trapped in the smaller bile ducts, particularly in the stem cell niche of the canals of Hering, and exerting their carcinogenic effect for a long time, thus inducing hepatic stem/progenitor cells (HpSCs) malignant transformation. In this scenario, chronic liver damage induced by asbestos fibers over the years could be seen as a classic model of stem cell-derived carcinogenesis, where HpSC malignant transformation represents the first step of this process. This phenomenon could explain the recent epidemiological findings, where asbestos exposure seems mainly involved in ICC, rather than extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, development.
Topics: Asbestos; Bile Duct Neoplasms; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cholangiocarcinoma; Humans; Liver; Liver Neoplasms; Risk Factors; Stem Cell Niche; Stem Cells
PubMed: 32059499
DOI: 10.3390/cells9020421 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... May 2021Pulmonary fibrosis is a relentlessly progressive and often fatal disease with a paucity of available therapies. Genetic evidence implicates disordered epithelial repair,...
Pulmonary fibrosis is a relentlessly progressive and often fatal disease with a paucity of available therapies. Genetic evidence implicates disordered epithelial repair, which is normally achieved by the differentiation of small cuboidal alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells into large, flattened alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells as an initiating event in pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis. Using models of pulmonary fibrosis in young adult and old mice and a model of adult alveologenesis after pneumonectomy, we show that administration of ISRIB, a small molecule that restores protein translation by EIF2B during activation of the integrated stress response (ISR), accelerated the differentiation of AT2 into AT1 cells. Accelerated epithelial repair reduced the recruitment of profibrotic monocyte-derived alveolar macrophages and ameliorated lung fibrosis. These findings suggest a dysfunctional role for the ISR in regeneration of the alveolar epithelium after injury with implications for therapy.
Topics: Acetamides; Age Factors; Alveolar Epithelial Cells; Animals; Asbestos; Bleomycin; Cell Differentiation; Cell Movement; Cyclohexylamines; Macrophages, Alveolar; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Proteostasis; Pulmonary Fibrosis; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 33972447
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101100118 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2021Sailors have long been known to experience high rates of injury, disease, and premature death. Many studies have shown asbestos-related diseases among shipyard workers,... (Review)
Review
Sailors have long been known to experience high rates of injury, disease, and premature death. Many studies have shown asbestos-related diseases among shipyard workers, but few have examined the epidemiology of asbestos-related disease and death among asbestos-exposed sailors serving on ships at sea. Chrysotile and amphibole asbestos were used extensively in ship construction for insulation, joiner bulkhead systems, pipe coverings, boilers, machinery parts, bulkhead panels, and many other uses, and asbestos-containing ships are still in service. Sailors are at high risk of exposure to shipboard asbestos, because unlike shipyard workers and other occupationally exposed groups, sailors both work and live at their worksite, making asbestos standards and permissible exposure limits (PELs). based on an 8-h workday inadequate to protect their health elevated risks of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers have been observed among sailors through epidemiologic studies. We review these studies here.
Topics: Asbestos; Asbestos, Serpentine; Humans; Mesothelioma; Military Personnel; Ships
PubMed: 34444165
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168417 -
La Medicina Del Lavoro Feb 2020«Reconstruction of the asbestos exposure in a textile company producing sewing threads through the use of an unusual information source».
UNLABELLED
«Reconstruction of the asbestos exposure in a textile company producing sewing threads through the use of an unusual information source».
BACKGROUND:
The Tuscan Regional Operating Center (ROC) of Malignant Mesotheliomas has identified a cluster of 11 cases of malignant mesothelioma occurred in a textile plant manufacturing sewing thread. Using the common research method, the ROC had not previously been able to identify the specific sources of asbestos exposure causing such a large cluster.
OBJECTIVES:
The ROC’s objective was to review all cases of the cluster and to better identify their occupational asbestos exposures.
METHODS:
The cases’ occupational histories of asbestos exposure have been reviewed, using information deriving from the annual reports sent to the Tuscany Region since 1988 by all the asbestos removal companies according to the Law no. 257/1992, article 9, and from interviews to former employees of the plant.
RESULTS:
The work cycle has been reconstructed and enriched with the new information about the asbestos presence and its uses in the plant. The eleven cases were all reclassified as “certainly occupational exposed” given that the new collected information depicted a widespread asbestos pollution of the workplace during the period of employment of all cases.
CONCLUSIONS:
Using different sources of information, in addition to those traditionally collected through questionnaires, to reconstruct past asbestos exposuresallowed us to clarify the existence of the cluster of mesothelioma cases and the highest level of occupational asbestos exposure was attributed to all cases with consequent activation of the medico-legal procedure.
Topics: Asbestos; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Mesothelioma; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Pleural Neoplasms
PubMed: 32352426
DOI: 10.23749/mdl.v111i2.8837