该疾病更常见于男性和白人,且通常出现于老年人(五十至九十岁)。[2]Larson T, Melnikova N, Davis SI, et al. Incidence and descriptive epidemiology of mesothelioma in the United States, 1999-2002. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2007;13:398-403.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18085053?tool=bestpractice.com[3]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Malignant mesothelioma mortality - United States, 1999-2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:393-396.http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5815a3.htmhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19390506?tool=bestpractice.com在英国,自从20 世纪 60 年代起,有间皮瘤病例登记和纪录以来,发病率一直在快速增加,预计,英国人的年死亡人数将在 2011 年至 2015 年间的某个时段达到高峰,死亡人数将达到1950~2450 人。[4]Hodgson JT, McElvenny DM, Darnton AJ, et al. The expected burden of mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain from 2002 to 2050. Br J Cancer. 2005;92:587-593.http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v92/n3/full/6602307a.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15668716?tool=bestpractice.com在美国,1970 年至 2000 年期间间皮瘤发病率增加,但现在似乎已达到稳定时期。[5]Price B, Ware A. Mesothelioma trends in the United States: an update based on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data for 1973 through 2003. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;159:107-112.http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/159/2/107http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14718210?tool=bestpractice.com
在美国,每年约有 3200 例新的恶性胸膜间皮瘤患者(每 100,000 个人中有 1.05 个新病例)。[6]Henley SJ, Larson TC, Wu M, et al. Mesothelioma incidence in 50 states and the District of Columbia, United States, 2003-2008. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2013;19:1-10.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23582609?tool=bestpractice.com在过去的十年中,美国恶性胸膜间皮瘤的年死亡率一直较稳定;[3]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Malignant mesothelioma mortality - United States, 1999-2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:393-396.http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5815a3.htmhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19390506?tool=bestpractice.com但全球死亡率变化很大,从巴西和厄瓜多尔的百万分之 0.5到英国的百万分之31。该变化可能反映了不同国家之间在石棉使用和管理方面的差异。[7]Nishikawa K, Takahashi K, Karjalainen A, et al. Recent mortality from pleural mesothelioma, historical patterns of asbestos use, and adoption of bans: a global assessment. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116:1675-1680.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2599762/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19079719?tool=bestpractice.com