[Medical insurance aspects of peritoneal tumors with particular attention to peritoneal mesotheliomas].

Malignant peritoneal mesotheliomas arise mainly in male patients and the median age of initial diagnosis is about 56 years. Epitheloid subtype predominates in peritoneal mesotheliomas. Asbestos exposure is the best-known and most common risk factor associated with the development of both pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas and, therefore, about 90% of cases can be assessed as asbestos-associated. Patients with peritoneal mesotheliomas have distinctly higher asbestos burden of the lungs than patients with pleural mesotheliomas. The mean latency period between exposure and diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma ranges from 35 to 40 years and is comparable to that of pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis also belongs to the group of peritoneal mesotheliomas. No significant evidence exists for the classification of well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma, solitary fibrous tumor, adenomatoid tumor, primary peritoneal serous borderline tumor, and benign multicystic mesothelioma as asbestos-associated tumors. Except malignant mesotheliomas, the induction of other abdominal tumors is independent of an exposure to asbestos dust.