Seminars in Oncology - Introduction

Our plain-English summary of Seminars in Oncology - Introduction, by J. Aisner, P.H. Wiernik (1981).

The study

• Authors: J. Aisner, P.H. Wiernik
• Published: SEMINARS IN ONCOLOGY 8(3):241-242, SEPTEMBER (1981)
• Type of article: Journal article
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

This is not a research study. It was the guest editors' introduction to a 1981 issue of Seminars in Oncology on mesothelioma and related tumors, and it reported no new data. The authors wrote that these tumors are linked to asbestos dusts in the workplace and the environment. They wrote that the growth of the asbestos industry, particularly during the Second World War, and past use of asbestos in fireproofing products had exposed a large population. They stated there could now be little argument about the association between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. They also described overwhelming evidence that smoking combined with asbestos exposure is strongly associated with bronchogenic carcinoma, a type of lung cancer. They called for analyses of fiber types and dose-response relationships, noting that not all patients with mesothelioma can give a history of asbestos exposure. On treatment, they wrote that the disease often presents late, that CT scanning might aid earlier diagnosis, and that mesotheliomas take at least three forms. They called for collaborative clinical trials and said it was perhaps too early to be optimistic.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Editorial introduction by the guest editors of a journal issue on mesothelioma; not a study and no new data
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The introduction discusses asbestos dusts in the workplace and environment in general terms.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors wrote that the best way to learn the most appropriate clinical management is collaboration among many investigators in clinical trials that stratify patients by the different disease forms. They said it was perhaps too early to be optimistic about such efforts.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Asbestos Exposure, Bronchogenic Carcinoma, Lung Cancer, Dose-response relationship, Clinical Trial.

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