[Epidemiology of malignant pleural mesothelioma in the Nantes-Saint Nazaire region. Course in 1956-1992].

The aim of this study was to estimate the evolution of the incidence of mesothelioma in the Loire-Atlantique department since 1956 and to register all the cases diagnosed between 1985 and 1992 and to complete the data of earlier studies carried out between 1956 and 1984. The cases were indexed from the files of the pathology department and also from demographic and occupational data concerning the patients which had been gathered retrospectively from an inquiry of patients attached either to private physicians or to a hospital service. From 1956 to 1984 there were 125 cases (119 men, 6 women) who had been diagnosed; 92 cases were registered between 1985 and 1992 (79 men and 13 women). An increase in the annual number of cases was significant. The incidence during the period 1985-1992 was 10.9 per million inhabitants (men 19.4, women 3) against 8.7 (men 17.2, women 0.8) for the period 1975 to 1984 and 2.6 (men 5.2, women 0.2) for the period 1956-1974. The mean age of the subjects at the time of diagnosis rose during the period studied (59.2 +/- 9.4 between 1956-1974 to 63.1 +/- 11.9 between 1975-1984 and 67.0 +/- 9.7 between 1985-1992). Occupational exposure to asbestos was certain or probable in 85 per cent of cases with a median duration of exposure of 25 years (range 2 months to 48 years) with a median interval between the first exposure to diagnosis of 44 years (range 10-70 years). The industrial sector most often implicated was naval construction (127 cases).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)