What are the key statistics about malignant mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is fairly rare. About 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States. The rate of mesotheliomas in the United States increased from the 1970s to the early 1990s, but since then it has leveled off or even gone down slightly. These changes have largely been seen in men, and are thought to be related to changes in workplace exposures to asbestos (see “What are the risk factors for malignant mesothelioma?”). The rate of mesothelioma is lower in women and has been fairly steady for some time. In many other countries, the rate of mesothelioma is still increasing.
Mesothelioma is more common in whites and Hispanics/Latinos than in African Americans or Asian Americans. Information on survival rates for mesothelioma can be found in the section, “Survival
statistics for mesothelioma.”