What is mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that starts from mesothelial cells. These cells line the outer surface of most of the body’s internal organs, forming a protective membrane called the mesothelium. Some mesotheliomas form a mass (tumour), while others grow along the mesothelium and form a thick covering. In later stages, mesothelioma may spread (metastasise) to other parts of the body.
You can access further information about mesothelioma, including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from Cancer Council Victoria. You can also call our trusted cancer nurses on 13 11 20 for support and to learn about our range of services for people affected by cancer.
The Victorian Cancer Registry also operates an interactive web portal, Data Explorer, which provides more trends and statistics than published here.
How common is mesothelioma?
In 2022, 174 Victorians were diagnosed with mesothelioma. Of these, there were 140 males and 34 females, representing 80.5% and 19.5% of the total Victorian mesothelioma diagnoses, respectively. Currently, mesothelioma is diagnosed at a rate of 1.7 per 100,000 males and 0.4 per 100,000 females. The median age at diagnosis of mesothelioma is 73 years in males and 72 in females (Figure 1 & 2). Accounting for 0.5% of all cancers diagnosed and 1.3% of all cancer-related deaths in 2022, mesothelioma was the 30th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 22nd most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Victoria.
Trends in mesothelioma over time
Figure 3 shows that for males between 1982 to 2001 the incidence of mesothelioma increased by an average of 4.5% per year, and between 2001 to 2022 incidence declined by an average of 2.7% per year.
For females between 1982 to 1997 the incidence of mesothelioma increased by an average of 11% per year, and between 1997 to 2022 incidence stabilised.
For males between 1982 to 1985 the mortality of mesothelioma declined by an average of 30.6% per year, between 1985 to 1997 mortality stabilised, between 1997 to 2002 mortality increased by an average of 17.2% per year, and between 2002 to 2022 mortality declined by an average of 3.1% per year.
For females between 1990 to 1996 the mortality of mesothelioma was stable, between 1996 to 2001 mortality increased by an average of 25.2% per year, and between 2001 to 2022 mortality stabilised.
Geographical variance in mesothelioma by local government area
Figure 4 demonstrates variation in age-standardised incidence rates of mesothelioma, by local government areas. Darker shading indicates areas with higher rates of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma in people born overseas
Figure 5 shows the age standardised incidence rates of mesothelioma in Australian-born Victorians compared to other major migrant groups, over the five-year period 2017 to 2021. The highest age standardised incidence rate for mesothelioma was 2.8 for males born in the Other Europe region and the lowest rate of 0.1 was observed in males born in the North-East Asia region. The highest age standardised incidence rate for mesothelioma was 0.8 for females born in the UK and Ireland region and the lowest rate of 0 was observed in females born in the Southern and Central Asia region.
Mesothelioma five-year relative survival
Figure 6 shows the change in 5-year survival for mesothelioma, and the 5-year survival trend for all cancers over the same time period. It demonstrates that five-year relative survival has increased for mesothelioma between 1982-1986 and 2017-2021 from 7% to 10%.