How do you know if lung cancer is caused by asbestos?
Asbestos cancer is strongly associated with exposure to asbestos in the workplace. Reports indicate that inhaling asbestos dust and fibers that contaminate the clothing and hair of someone who works with asbestos can increase your risk for malignant mesothelioma.
Bronchial carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are two types of asbestos-induced lung cancers. The onset of these cancers can occur 40 or more years after asbestos exposure. Asbestos cancer normally begins in the bronchi, the tubes that branch off from the windpipe. It can also start in the windpipe, the bronchioles or the alveoli. The bronchioles are the smaller branches of the bronchus and the alveoli are the lung’s air sacs.
What are the first signs of asbestos poisoning?
Asbestos lung cancer usually does not cause symptoms in its early stages. Approximately 15% of people have a persistent cough, chest pain, weight loss, rust or blood colored phlegm. These symptoms are associated with other diseases. Your physician will perform a full physical examination, collect a phlegm sample and conduct a lung biopsy to make a conclusive diagnosis.Mesothelioma is a malignant type of cancer that affects the protective membrane lining many of the body cavities. This rare form of cancer is not caused by tobacco use, but smoking significantly increases the risk for asbestos-related cancers. Mesothelioma usually affects the lining of the lungs, but it can also target the membrane that covers the abdominal cavity and the heart.
Three categories of diagnoses are pleural, peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma.
The signs and symptoms of mesothelioma can occur 50 years or more after exposure to asbestos. It is difficult to diagnose asbestos cancer because it often mimics minor respiratory illnesses.
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma, which affect the lungs, include fatigue, hoarseness, chronic cough and shortness of breath. People with multiple pleural tumors have a risk for collapsed lungs or the cancer spreading to other locations in their body.
Peritoneal mesothelioma afflicts the abdominal cavity with painful swelling. It causes weight loss, fluid build up, bowel obstruction, fever, anemia and blood clotting abnormalities. Mesothelioma that spreads outside the abdominal cavity can cause trouble swallowing, pain and a swollen neck or face. Severe cases can cause jaundice, low blood sugar and bleeding in several body organs.
The current treatment regimen for asbestos cancers includes radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.
