Accuracy of death certification of pleural mesothelioma in Italy.

In order to provide estimates of the accuracy of death certification of malignant pleural mesothelioma in Italy, the causes of death of a series of ascertained cases were investigated. The study included 523 cases of pleural mesothelioma diagnosed in 1984-1988 by 88 hospital departments and clinics. Vital status at 7 May 1990 was ascertained for 92.7% of subjects. The overall concordance between pathological diagnosis and death certification was about 75%.