Education＆ScienceEducational Article

Comment by Mark Lavercombe: In this report of a series of almost 2800 patients reported to the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry (WAMR) with mesothelioma over a period of 60 years, changes in exposure and survival can be seen over time. In particular, median survival has more than doubled from 156 days in 1960-1979 to 360 days in 2010-2020. Most men with mesothelioma worked in building or construction (31%). Do-it-yourself (DIY) & home renovation activities are the largest identified source of asbestos exposure in women with mesothelioma in this registry, accounting for 22% of cases. Thankfully, the data appears to show a reduction in incident rate ratio for DIY home renovation cases since a peak in 2005-2009.