Latency Period for Mesothelioma

It has been well-documented that mesothelioma may take decades to develop. The average amount of time is typically between thirty and forty-five years from when a person has been exposed for the first time to when symptoms begin to develop. Although this generally accepted information is true, recent studies have determined that there are huge variations in the latency period. Determining factors include how much asbestos a person was exposed to, for how long a period of time that exposure took place, the gender of the person who was exposed and wherein the body the mesothelioma develops.

Amount of Exposure

From when a person is exposed to an extremely high concentration of asbestos dust (also called fibers), the amount of time it takes for the symptoms of mesothelioma to develop is often far shorter than when the exposure is in small amounts, even if the smaller concentrations end up occurring over a longer period of time, and end up adding to greater amounts in the long run.

This phenomenon has been especially true of firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders who have been subjected to very high doses of asbestos fibers in buildings where asbestos was a part of the construction material. Although it is rare in the general population, more and more of these emergency workers are being diagnosed with mesothelioma within 12 years of asbestos exposure from explosions, fires, and collapsed buildings.

Type of Mesothelioma

There are four different diagnoses' for mesothelioma; pleural, peritoneal, pericardial and testicular. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common diagnosis, representing approximately 75% of diagnosed cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma represents 15-20% of mesothelioma cases, while both pericardial and testicular mesotheliomas each represent only 1% of mesothelioma cases. As more and more of these rare forms of mesothelioma are documented, it has been theorized that pleural mesothelioma's latency period is a bit longer than that of the others.

Sex of the Person Exposed to Asbestos

Most cases of mesothelioma that have been diagnosed in women indicate that the latency period is approximately five years longer than that of men; however, researchers are not certain as to whether this is based upon sex or the fact that women are generally not exposed to as high doses of asbestos when compared to men, who generally, or more often, worked with the material.

The majority of women who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma were exposed in a secondary way, through asbestos dust (fibers) that was carried home on the clothing of their male family members.