Lung Cancer

Mesothelioma is not the only type of cancer caused by asbestos. Occupational exposure to asbestos is also associated with a higher incidence of lung cancer, particularly among smokers.

Although many people assume that lung cancer is primarily caused by cigarette smoke, in fact smoking and asbestos exposure have a synergistic effect. That means they work together to increase the risk of lung cancer much more than either smoking or asbestos alone. Smokers who have been exposed to asbestos are 50 to 90 times more likely to get lung cancer than smokers who were never exposed to asbestos.

Like most other asbestos diseases, asbestos-induced lung cancer generally has a significant latency period. Usually it takes 20 to 30 years or more to develop lung cancer after the first exposure to asbestos.

The most common symptoms of lung cancer are a worsening cough or a cough that won't go away, and a change in breathing. Other symptoms may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Persistent chest pains
• Wheezing
• Hoarseness
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss without a known cause
• Repeated lung infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia
• Coughing up blood

Asbestos exposure has also been associated with certain other cancers, including colon cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the esophagus and larynx, and ovarian cancer. However, the evidence linking asbestos to these other forms of cancer is much weaker than the overwhelming evidence that asbestos causes both lung cancer and mesothelioma.