Asbestos Cancers

Asbestos is one of the most harmful naturally occurring minerals used in the world. It is resistant to both heat and chemicals, and when fibers get lodged in your body through inhalation, they can cause a number of health problems.
The greatest danger associated with exposure to asbestos is the development of asbestos cancers.

Cancers Caused By Asbestos

• Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. Within your body there is a lining known as the mesothelium. When you breathe in asbestos fibers, they get lodged in the mesothelium and lead to inflammation. That type of prolonged inflammation puts you at risk for developing cancerous tumors.
While the mesothelium covers many of your internal organs (including the abdomen and the heart), the most common – and most dangerous – place to find mesothelioma is the outer lining of the lungs, known as the pleura. Pleural mesothelioma is extremely difficult to treat, and by the time it is diagnosed the individual has an average life expectancy of between 4 and 18 months.

• Lung Cancer

Although mesothelioma is the most well-known of the asbestos cancers, anyone exposed to asbestos is at an even higher risk for lung cancer. Studies have shown that asbestos lung cancer rates are nearly double the rate of mesothelioma.

Asbestos fibers alone are not the most common cause of lung cancer, though. Instead, it is the combination of asbestos exposure and smoking that puts individuals at a high risk. Anyone who smokes and has also been in contact with asbestos should get tested regularly for asbestos related lung cancer, as the smoking increases the risk of developing this disease by a considerable margin.

• Gastrointestinal Cancers

There is also evidence that those exposed to asbestos may be at risk for gastrointestinal asbestos cancers. Gastrointestinal cancers caused by asbestos are less common, but it is believed that asbestos fibers affect the lining of the gastrointestinal tract in a similar manner as they do the mesothelium, eventually causing inflammation and leading to cancer. Gastrointestinal cancers may also be caused by ingesting asbestos in addition to inhaling the fibers.

Other Asbestos Cancers

Lung cancer, mesothelioma, and gastrointestinal cancer are the three diseases that have shown the strongest link to asbestos exposure, but they are not the only types of cancer that experts have linked to asbestos. Because asbestos fibers cause inflammation in any location they manage to lodge themselves (inflammation that may lead to cancerous tumors), it is believed that asbestos exposure may also cause other cancers in the colon, throat, kidneys and gallbladder.
Asbestos fibers have been linked to many different types of asbestos cancers, with lung cancer and mesothelioma the most common. But if you know that you have been exposed to asbestos, it is important that you see the doctor regularly about cancer screenings and tests, as you may be at risk for other types of cancer as well.