The statistics on mesothelioma cases occurring among the regional population between 1990 and 2012 were updated.
Included are cases with hisotologic, cytologic or radiologic confirmation of diagnosis; diagnoses of benign mesothelioma, atypical mesothelial hyperplasia, well-differentiated papillar mesothelioma and mesothelioma in-situ are excluded.
Confirmation of diagnosis was classified according to the National Mesothelioma Registry (ReNaM) guidelines; definite diagnoses, in particular, correspond to confirmation by microscopic analysis of paraffin-embedded samples with a pathology report stating that morphological characteristics and, if performed, immune staining patterns were typical of malignant mesothelioma.