What is lung cancer?

Lung cancer is a disease resulting from an abnormality in the regulation of cell growth in the lung. It leads to uncontrolled cell growth leading to a cellular mass (a tumour) in the lung, usually in the airways. The tumour growth that takes place in the lungs is highly disposed to metastasis, which means that the lung cancer may spread to other parts of the body in a relatively short period of time.

The lungs are our essential breathing organ. Their primary function is to exchange gases inside the body during breathing, so that poisonous carbon dioxide is replaced with fresh oxygen. The main airways leading in to the lungs are known as the bronchi, and these branch off into smaller airways known as the bronchioles. Alveoli are found at the end of the bronchioles, and it is these incredibly thin sacs that allow gas to move easily between the lungs and the bloodstream.

Lung cancer usually takes many years to develop. But the changes in the cell structure of the lung that can eventually lead to cancer can begin almost instantaneously following exposure to a carcinogen (substance that causes cancer) such as asbestos. The more exposure to a carcinogen the person experiences, the greater the instance of cellular change in their body (and the greater the likelihood that these changes will result in the development of a malignant mass of cancer cells). It is however possible for the body to replace these cells with regular cells after exposure has completely stopped.

The causes of lung cancer

In most cases, lung cancer is caused by smoking. Cigarettes are thought to contain around 60 carcinogens. In addition, they contain a significant amount of nicotine, which weakens the immune system response to the inhalation of these carcinogens. This combination means that the risk of a person developing lung cancer increases with every cigarette smoked (nicotine is also highly addictive, which means that a smoker is likely to inhale cigarette smoke on a regular basis over an extended period of time).

However, airborne asbestos exposure is certainly an important risk factor in some lung cancer cases (The HSE estimates that around 2,150 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer). Loose asbestos fibres that have been inhaled by a person may become permanently lodged in the lining of their lungs. Over time, lung cancer cells may form around the particles, which are known to be a very potent carcinogen.

Asbestos exposure can also greatly increase the risk of developing lung cancer in people that smoke. This is because the combination of smoking and airborne asbestos exposure has a synergistic effect. This means that the increased risk of lung cancer when a patient is exposed to both causes is even greater than merely adding the individual risks associated with each cause.  This can mean that a smoker exposed to airborne asbestos is five times more likely to go on and develop lung cancer than a non-smoker.

If you have been exposed to asbestos fibres, it is therefore extremely important to get in touch with a doctor for help quitting. The risk of developing lung cancer from smoking can be significantly reduced by giving up, with the benefits of doing so increasing as time goes on. After 10 years the, risk could have dropped to a level around one-half of what would be seen in a person that continued smoking.

The symptoms and treatment of lung cancer

The symptoms of asbestos-related lung cancer include a chronic cough, worsening breathlessness, weight loss, coughing up blood and chest pain (and pain elsewhere as the cancer spreads). In some cases, hormones released by the tumour may lead to seemingly unrelated symptoms such as dizziness, numbness and breast enlargement in men. Of all of the symptoms, coughing up blood is considered to be extremely important, because it can occur early on in the development of lung cancer. If a person is coughing up blood, and they have a history of smoking or exposure to asbestos (or any other reason to believe that they may be at risk from cancer), they are advised to get in touch with their doctor.

Unfortunately, warning signs do not usually show themselves until late on in the development of the cancer. This means that the disease is usually only diagnosed at a later stage in its development. When such a diagnosis is made, often the cancer has already spread out from the lung, which can make curative treatments (using surgery or focused radiotherapy) difficult.

Most patients are able to benefit from palliative treatment to ease their symptoms however. The treatment administered will depend on the type of lung cancer. In around 20% of all cases, chemotherapy is the best response. This involves the administration of drugs to prolong life expectancy and improve quality of life. The treatment is given in three week cycles, which last for around 48 hours each. Though there are side effects such as nausea, vomiting and hair loss associated with chemotherapy drugs, these symptoms can be effectively treated with vitamin supplements and other medicines. Hair loss is only a temporary side effect, and patients can expect their hair to grow back around three months after the last cycle of treatment.

In the remaining cases, radiotherapy and supportive care will be used (though chemotherapy is being increasingly used to treat other types of lung cancer).  This involves the application of radiation to the parts of the chest overlying the tumour (a small mark will be made on the chest to help the radiologist find the relevant part). Radiotherapy can be used to completely destroy cancerous cells, but often it is aimed at reducing the size of a lung cancer tumour. This can be a highly effective way of reducing symptoms related to tumour size such as chest pain and difficulty breathing.

Next steps

It is extremely important to visit your GP if you have a history of exposure to airborne asbestos fibres and are concerned about your health.

If you have been diagnosed with lung cancer, and asbestos fibres were likely to have been a cause in the development of the condition, you may be able to obtain compensation. This is true even if you were a smoker at the time of being exposed to airborne asbestos fibres. The asbestos compensation claims team at Humphreys & Co. Solicitors has extensive experience of representing the victims of asbestos-related lung cancer and other asbestos industrial diseases. We can ensure that you recover 100% of the compensation to which you are entitled and will strive to take your case on a no win, no fee basis.

To start your asbestos-related lung cancer compensation claim today, please click here.