Asbestos-RelatedPrevention, Early Detection, Treatment

Mesothelioma is a relatively rare disease, with ~1,000 cases of mesothelioma- related mortality annually in Japan. There is currently no standard diagnostic method for this disease worldwide. X-ray is commonly used for the assessment of a mass in a population exhibiting a risk factor and a tumor biopsy is typically performed only if this disease is suspected, since it is a highly invasive procedure. Thus, numerous patients with mesothelioma are diagnosed at a late stage. Since the early diagnosis of mesothelioma, an aggressive tumor is considered to be important for prognosis. We previously reported that N-ERC/mesothelin might be a useful blood tumor marker for mesothelioma. Furthermore, our group examine the unique diagnose system from large-scale screening of construction workers in Japan. We predict that the incidence of mesothelioma will increase in Asian countries near future. Since, we will share the diagnosis system and knowledge of mesothelioma and establish the early diagnosis and treatment systems. Finally, we establish "International Environmental Carcinogenesis Prevention Research Center". From this center, we will organize international seminars of environmental carcinogenesis once a year and the education program of the diagnosis skill for mesothelioma. Furthermore, we prove more convenient and non-invasive method for the early diagnosis of mesothelioma.