The discovery that someone has lung cancer caused by asbestos can be overwhelming. In many cases, lung cancer caused by asbestos is related to exposure that happened years or even decades before and can prompt a lawsuit. However, the time between exposure to asbestos and diagnosis can make it difficult for an employee to determine which of his or her positions led to lung cancer.

There are more than 200,000 new diagnoses of lung cancer every single year in the United States. Lung cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in the country. Lung cancer is frequently associated with general exposure to toxic substances.

Lung Cancer Caused By Asbestos

While there are many different causes of lung cancer in general, lung cancer caused by asbestos most typically affects people who worked in particular industries where they were exposed to these dangerous fibers. While the primary contributing risk factor for a lung cancer diagnosis is a smoking habit, studies argue that up to four percent of diagnoses of lung cancer every single year are related to asbestos.

Lung cancer caused by asbestos might not be detected until decades after the original exposure. Asbestos exposure most frequently happens in the workplace, but it can also happen at home as a result of deteriorating asbestos products, second hand exposure, or construction projects.

No amount of exposure to asbestos is considered safe, and asbestos fibers can cause significant damage over the course of time. Ultimately, lung cancer caused by asbestos might be the determination of a doctor or the patient after the diagnosis has been made.

Typically, lung cancer caused by asbestos will have a latency period of up to 35 years. The first symptoms that a patient frequently presents for lung cancer are the same as other asbestos diseases. Some of the differences between asbestos cancers have to do with how the tumors form in the patient. Lung cancer tumors develop more frequently in defined areas of the lungs and are also known to spread faster throughout the body.

Asbestos related lung cancer might be diagnosed by a doctor after a patient reports concerns over symptoms such as weight loss, chest pain, persistent cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue and coughing up phlegm. Lung cancer caused by asbestos may be especially difficult to detect early on because of the lengthy latency period.

Use of diagnostic CT scans or X-rays can typically show abnormalities with the patient’s lungs. After initial scans, the doctors might carry out a cytology, if applicable. Those patients might have cancerous cells revealed in the results of this case.

Many people confuse lung cancer and mesothelioma since many mesothelioma cases also affect the lungs. However, lung cancer caused by asbestos is its own unique diagnosis. All asbestos related diseases take time to develop. The fibers cause health problems such as scarring and inflammation over the course of a decade or even longer.

Anyone who believes they have lung cancer caused by asbestos or any other disease should consider the possibilities of filing a lawsuit.