Use of the Minimum Basic Data Set as a tool for the epidemiological surveillance of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a very aggressive tumor that appears after several decades of asbestos exposure. The Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS) has been validated for the incidence of mesothelioma in Italy, but not in Spain. The objectives of this investigation are: to estimate the prevalence, incidence and mortality of mesothelioma in the Community of Madrid (CM); to evaluate the distribution of this risk within the territory; and to explore validity of the MBDS in the epidemiological surveillance of mesothelioma.

Prevalence, incidence and mortality mesothelioma rates were calculated for the CM from data of the MBDS (2016 and 2017), and mortality data of the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) for the same period. The geographical distribution of cases and deaths, and its correlation at municipal level was studied. Statistical analysis with R and Excel tools was carried out.

The incidence of mesothelioma in the CM was higher than in previous years. Mortality estimated by the MBDS and calculated using INE data for 2016 were similar in the CM. The correlation between the geographical patterns of risk of mesothelioma obtained from the two sources was high (r = 0.86). The aggregation of cases continues in municipalities in the south, detecting the maximum risk in Aranjuez.

The MBDS and INE are good resources for monitoring the risk of mesothelioma. New studies that investigate the aggregation of cases in Aranjuez are required.