Malignant pleural mesothelioma: Patient selection for pleurectomy

Although primary pleural tumors had been reported since the eighteenth century, the epidemiology of mesothelioma first came to light in 1960 with the report by Wagner and colleagues of 33 asbestos mine workers from South Africa who developed mesothelioma.¹ Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor. Although the geographical distribution of the disease is diverse, taken as a whole the United States has an incidence just under 1 per 100,000.² The incidence has been rising since the 1970s. The male to female ratio is 5:1 which is likely due to the occupational exposure of asbestos.