Malignant Mesothelioma (MM) is still the leading cause of death in Karain villagers in Turkey and/or abroad due to erionite exposure

Abstract

Karain is a village in Cappadocia, Turkey, which experience an epidemic of MM. Total population was 875 in 1975. By 2014 it was reduced to 139 as approximately 400 of them died of MM and others migrated to Sweden, Ausralia, Urgup, and Western Europe hoping to reduce the risk of dying of MM. A mortality study performed in Karain between 1970-1994 showed that 58% of deaths were due to cancer:85% of cancer deaths were due to MPM(malignant pleural mesothelioma) and 4% to MPEM(malignant peritoneal mesothelioma). The M to F ratio was 1.4 and the median age of death was 55(YI Baris, J Natl Cancer Inst 2006). We linked MM to genetic predispositon to erionite carcinogenesis(Roushdy-Hammady, Lancet 2001). The aim of this study was to investigate the mortality rate in Karain villagers within the period 2010-2017 and compare it with previous studies. We review medical records and death certificates of people buried in Karain cemetery in the years 2010-2017. Of note, when Karain villagers die abroad their corpse were transported to Karain.124 villagers died in this time period. 67/124 (54%) were males.66 of 124(53%) died of cancer, and 54/66 of cancer deaths were caused by mesothelioma. Specifically,52 of 124(79%) died of MPM,2/124(3%) of MPEM. Their median age was 68 years. Other cancers: GIS(4.5%), genitourinary(4.5%), lung(3%), etc. Our results are similar to the previous study by Baris, except the median age which in our study is 13 years older. We speculate that reduced exposure to erionite in people who had left the village account for this difference. In total,127 new houses were built and entire village was moved to a new geological site free of erionite in 2014.