Asbestos Lung Cancer

Asbestos lung cancer is a lethal disease that broadly influences individuals whose occupation atmosphere is plagued with an overdose of asbestos materials. Smokers are at an ever high risk of contracting this disease due to their decreased levels of immunity. Nicotine weakens the innate germ fighting ability of the human lungs making them more susceptible to various sicknesses. Exactly what is Mesothelioma?

This disease generally starts affecting the mesothelium lining of cells (hence the name “mesothelioma”) that encapsulates the bronchi that is the branches into which the main lung tube or trachea partitions into. At times this particular strain of lung cancer can attack the cells of the main trachea or tertiary branches called bronchioles and the small air filled air sacs called alveoli that compose the lung. Lung cancers develop slowly but once it rears its ugly head; the malignant cancerous cells may break off from the affected portion and trigger similar cancerous growths in other internal organs and parts of the body.

Read more in the book “Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient’s Guide“

Types of Asbestos Lung Cancer

There exist three major kinds of asbestos cancer:

1) SCLC – this is an acronym for small cell lung cancer as the harmful cancer cells are small in size and globular in shape.
2) NSCLC – this represents non small cell lung cancer wherein you will come across cancerous cells that are comparatively large in size than the previous type.
3) Mixed – a mixture of small and large cells of cancer give rise to this kind of difficult to contain cancer! The mixture of properties makes it t0ough to administer any single type of medicine or prescribe any specific drug.

According to the findings and statistics posted by the American Cancer Society, NSCLC happens to be the most widespread category of asbestos lung cancer. Approximately 80% part of the genre of prevalent lung cancers falls under this category! The other 20% is made up of SCLC class. Read more about the Symptoms.

Although in the beginning cancer cells are tiny, they rapidly multiply through repeated cellular divisions (mitosis) and give rise to hazardous and massive tumors within the body. These tumors tend to be perilous as they have the capability to extend to the internet of lymphatic nodules within the body and subsequently affect the other internal organs and their linings.

Read more in the book “100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma“

Symptoms of Asbestos Lung Cancer

It is a hard and daunting task to be able to detect the lung cancer caused by over exposure or long term exposure to asbestos. In the early stages of the disease, there may not be any visible physical or external signals that would indicate the presence of the hidden ailment. Asymptotic (no symptoms) asbestos cancer is a cause of major concern. Later on, difficulty in breathing and gulping, coughing, wheezing, and painful aches in the chest may be a part of the complaint list of the lung cancer patient.

Methods of Diagnosing Asbestos Cancer

Various kinds of isotopic imaging tests are employed to detect the disease. Biopsy and analyzing saliva samples are some of the other methods. A simple basic X-ray imaging can even help detect lung cancer.

Asbestos lung cancer is a disease that often affects individuals without their knowledge. Governments across the world are tightening their rules to ward off the occurrence of this lethal disease and mesothelioma lawyers are filing countless lawsuits against responsible parties every year.