Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in the North Western Cape Province

Mesothelioma of the pleura is regarded as an uncommon tumour. In the last four years we have seen 33 histologically proven cases; 28 of these had some association with the Cape asbestos field and four cases had been exposed to asbestos in industry. The tumour is rarely encountered elsewhere in South Africa. During the past five years, with the exception of the present series, no neoplasm of this nature has been diagnosed amongst 10,000 lungs examined at the Pneumoconiosis Bureau in