Objectives: The aim of the study was to estimate the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Iceland 1965-1995, as malignant mesothelioma is considered an indicator of past asbestos exposure in the population.
Material and methods: All histological and obduction reports were reviewed and all specimens were reevaluated from patients with the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma reported to the Cancer Registry or found in the files of the Department of Pathology in the University Hospital in Reykjavik since 1984. Crude annual incidence was calculated on the basis of number of cases and mean population of men and women. Information on import of goods which among other things contained asbestos was obtained from the Statistics of Iceland.
Results: Twenty patients with malignant mesothelioma were found, seven women and 13 men. The annual incidence of malignant mesothelioma was 0.75 per 100 thousand for men and 0.27 for women during 1980-1995. The incidence seems to have increased in the past 30 years. Eight of the 20 patients had other causes of death coded on the death certificate. The import of goods containing asbestos decreased with the introduction of the asbestos ban, it has however increased again since 1990. Conlusions: The incidence of malignant mesothelioma seems to be increasing in Iceland which indicates that there is yet not a reduction of the influence of previous asbestos exposure. This is to be expected as there is a relatively short time since the use of asbestos decreased. The incidence here is on the same level as in Finland, but is lower than found recently in studies from Norway and US. It is suggested that physicians should pay more attention to past exposure of their cancer patients, as such exposure, occupational or other, may be relevant for the development of the cancer.