If you have been diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer or suspect that you may have asbestos lung cancer or any asbestos related disorder the following apply:

• Stop smoking and avoid tobacco and pipe smoke including second hand
• Attend your doctor regularly for monitoring and assessment
• Consider vaccinations against influenza and pneumonia

Like tobacco smoking, exposure to asbestos can result in the development of lung cancer.
Similarly, the risk of developing asbestos induced lung cancer increases with dose.

Recent studies have found that asbestos exposure significantly multiplies the risk of lung cancer by a similar factor in both smokers and non-smokers. However, the extent to which asbestos exposure multiplies the risk varies and depends largely upon the type of asbestos as well as the nature and the duration of the exposure.

Common symptoms include:
* a cough that does not go away and gets worse over time
* coughing up blood
* shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness
* repeated problems of pneumonia
* shoulder pain extending down the outside of the arm
* unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
* constant chest pain
* fatigue
* psychological symptoms such as depression and mood changes are common However up to 25% of people with lung cancer have no symptoms and the tumor is detected only by a routine chest x-ray.

There are three main treatments offered for asbestos lung cancer:

1. Surgery
2. Radiotherapy
3. Chemotherapy

1. Surgery for asbestos lung cancer

Surgical removal of the tumor is the preferred treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, if the cancer is contained in the lung and has not spread to other areas of the body. Surgery is not always possible if the cancer is situated close to the wind pipe for example. Surgery will not be possible if the patient has other diseases such as heart disease which could be worsened by the procedure or if the patient is generally too weak. The surgical procedure can vary from removal of the portion of the lung to removal of the entire lung. Sometimes lymph nodes are also removed.

The procedure will take place under general anaesthetic following hospital admission. Surgical removal of a lung cancer tumor is a major procedure and normal risks following surgery apply.

2. Radiation for Asbestos Lung Cancer

Radiation treatment employs x-rays to kill dividing cancer cells. The radiation may be offered to remove residual traces of tumor following surgery, to shrink an otherwise inoperable tumor with the aim of lessening pain or as a treatment to accompany chemotherapy.

Radiation may be delivered externally via a machine or internally through placement of radioactive substances in field containers in the area of the tumor. In 10-15% of patients radiation therapy leads to a long term remission of tumor growth. Where radiation is applied externally the tumor must be accurately located using CT scans to identify the precise location where the treatment must be directed.

This process can take up to 2 hours before treatment can proceed. Side affects of radiotherapy can include tiredness, reduced white cell count, low blood platelet count, nausea or diarrhoea. Radiation administered externally can irritate the skin.

3. Chemotherapy for Asbestos Lung Cancer

A variety of drugs are administered either as pills intravenously or in combination. The procedure can be performed in an out-patient clinic. The combination of drugs vary according to the type of the tumor. A combination of drugs is given in a series of treatments (called cycles) with breaks in between. Side effects include sickness, diarrhoea, hair loss, tiredness, mouth sores and susceptibility to infection.