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 2021, 142 Victorians were diagnosed with mesothelioma. Of these, there were 106 males and 36 females, representing 74.6% and 25.4% of the total Victorian mesothelioma diagnoses, respectively. Currently, mesothelioma is diagnosed at a rate of 1.3 per 100,000 males and 0.5 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 0.4% of all cancers diagnosed and 1.1% of all cancer-related deaths in 2021, mesothelioma was the 32nd most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 23rd most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Victoria.
Trends in mesothelioma over time
Figure 3 shows that since 1982 incidence of mesothelioma has increased by an average of 0.5% per year in males and increased by an average of 2.7% per year in females. Over the past 39 years, mortality from mesothelioma has increased by 2.2% per year in males and increased by 4.6% per year in females.
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 2.4 for males born in the UK and Ireland region and the lowest rate of 0.2 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 0.1 was observed in females born in the Middle East and North Africa 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 1986-1990 and 2016-2020 from 6% to 9%.