Overall Totals

The aforementioned report notes that 596 new cases of mesothelioma were diagnosed in Australia in 2004. In 1982, only 156 cases were reported. In a little more than two decades, the number of cases increased by about 400 percent. The only year with more cases reported was 2003, when doctors diagnosed 640 new cases of the disease.

Men accounted for 80 to 90 percent of all new cases of the disease throughout the years since registries have been in place. In 2004, the age group with the most new cases of mesothelioma reported was men age 75-79. The highest rates among females occurred in that same age group.

Furthermore, the incidence of new cases of mesothelioma per 100,000 members of the population has also increased throughout a 25-year time period, from 1.2 cases in 1982 to 2.9 cases in 2004. In 2004, the age-specific incidence rate of new cases for males peaked in the 85+ year age group at 47.7 cases per 100,000, the report notes.

Deaths from mesothelioma were reported at 416 in 1997 and 522 in 2005. Men account for about 90 percent of these deaths and the rates continue to rise.