Lung Cancer

Approximately 222,520 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in 2010 in the United States. Lung cancer, the second most common type of cancer, is most commonly attributed to smoking. Exposure to secondhand smoke, radon gas, asbestos or other chemicals have also been known to cause lung cancer.

Signs of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is typified by a number of respiratory and constitutional symptoms. The most common initial presentation of lung cancer is a dry, wheezing cough. Patients with a pre-existing "smoker's cough" may notice an increase in frequency and severity, while patients who never had a cough may develop one. This cough is often a secondary complication caused by enlargement of the lymph nodes in the airway where tumors are developing.

Coughing may eventually produce blood and phlegm in the sputum (hemoptysis). Although many patients initially dismiss a cough, one study found that the development of hemoptysis typically prompted patients to see a doctor.

If the tumor is blocking a major airway, patients may experience difficulty breathing. Other biological changes that may indicate the development of lung cancer include intermittent chest pain, hoarse voice, headache and unintentional weight loss. Some patients, however, do not display any symptoms and are incidentally diagnosed with lung cancer during an imaging test for another illness.

Additional signs may be noticed once the original tumor has spread to other locations. Most commonly, lung cancer will spread to the chest wall or pleura, leading to dull pleural pain, tenderness or pleural effusions. When lung cancer metastasizes to nerves, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy may arise. This complication has been noted in two to 18 percent of lung cancer patients. Muscle deterioration and pain may also occur around the relevant nerve root.

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, please contact an experienced doctor immediately. If you would like assistance with finding a local doctor who is familiar with asbestos-related diseases, the Mesothelioma Center's Doctor Match Program can help you access the care you need.

Asbestos and Lung Cancer

The first indication that lung cancer can result from asbestos exposure was based on observations of workers at a South Carolina asbestos textile plant. In 1942, the Director of Occupational Cancer Studies at the National Cancer Institute officially declared that asbestos was capable of causing lung cancer.

A 2001 study revealed that up to four percent of all yearly lung cancer cases may be related to asbestos. In a separate study, the fiber counts in the lungs of patients with both lung cancer and asbestosis (an illness exclusively caused by asbestos exposure) were substantially higher than the fiber counts of patients who had lung cancer without asbestosis. This led researchers to conclude that asbestos was a major contributing factor in the participants' development of lung cancer.

The Helsinki Criteria, which discusses the relationship between asbestos and lung cancer, states that a person's risk of developing lung cancer increases up to four percent each year that they were exposed to asbestos. This criterion indicates that an individual's lung cancer risk doubles after 25 cumulative years of asbestos exposure. A person's risk of contracting asbestos-related lung cancer drops significantly 35 to 40 years after their first exposure since most cases develop much sooner.