ASBESTOS LUNG CANCER

“Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals used in certain products, such as building materials and vehicle brakes, to resist heat and corrosion. Asbestos includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and any of these materials that have been chemically treated and/or altered.”

ASBESTOS in FACT

The asbestos mineral is mined from the earth. Exposure to asbestos dust/fibres by way of inhalation and/or swallowing can lead to the development of one or more of the following asbestos diseases: malignant mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer; asbestosis, pleural thickening and pleural plaques.

Malignant mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer are, as their names suggest, forms of cancer and have no cure.

Although not a fatal condition in itself it is evidence of exposure to asbestos and therefore a marker of the risks of developing one of the more serious asbestos diseases i.e. malignant mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer.

Asbestos Lung Cancer Explained

Most asbestos lung cancer starts in the lining of the bronchi, the tubes into which the trachea or windpipe divides. However, asbestos lung cancer can also begin in other areas such as the trachea, bronchioles ,or alveoli. Although lung cancer usually develops slowly, until break away and spread to other parts of the body.

The types of lung cancer are

· (SCLC) small cell lung cancer, in which the cancer cells are small and round, Small cell lung cancer accounts for about 20% of all lung cancers (American cancer society)

· (NSCLC) non–small cell lung cancer, in which the cancer cells are larger, Non–small cell lung cancer accounts for almost 80% of lung cancers (American cancer society)

· Mixed small cell/large cell cancer.

Early–stage asbestos lung cancer may be asymptomatic (without symptoms). The methods used to diagnose asbestos lung cancer include imaging tests, biopsies, and taking phlegm (spit) samples

The way asbestos fibers enter the lungs

Asbestos minerals consist of fibers that are easily separable. Amphibole forms of asbestos, whose fibers are straight, are more likely to cause disease than chrysotile, whose fibers are curved.

How asbestos fibers damage the lungs

Not all inhaled asbestos is cleared from the lungs. Amphibole asbestos fibers, which are longer and straighter than chrysotile fibers, tend to remain in the lung the longest.

Asbestos fibers move toward the lower portion of the lungs and the diaphragm, the large muscle that moves the lungs in breathing, which sits just under the lungs. Asbestos fibers and mesothelioma

Asbestos fibers work their way through the lungs into the pleural cavity, the space in the chest where the lungs sit. The asbestos fibers invade the mesothelium, the thin, moist, flexible tissue that lines the cavity. The irritated cells respond by forming scar tissue. The second theory focuses on events at a molecular level, speculating that asbestos fibers interact with individual mesothelial cells, interfering with their cell division, or possibly damaging the cell's DNA during mitosis, or cell division. Although the highest risk of developing mesothelioma comes from prolonged exposure to asbestos fiber.