In Japan, 1 in 8 Lung Cancer Patients Was Exposed to Asbestos

At the 2009 Asian Asbestos Conference held in Hong Kong by the Asia Monitor Resource Center, numerous speakers met to discuss the crippling effects of asbestos and asbestos-related diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma on the Asian continent. Hot on the heels of that conference is troubling news from Japan. According to a new study, one in eight lung cancer patients were previously exposed to toxic asbestos particles before developing the disease.

The research study was a massive effort, coordinated by 12 Japanese medical institutions. Each year, lung cancer kills about 60,000 in the country of Japan. The new study indicates that if one of every eight lung cancer patients can attribute their cancer to asbestos exposure, 7,500 of those lung cancer deaths would be a direct result of asbestos.

This number is staggering, as it is much higher than the previously believed number of asbestos-related lung cancer in Japan. The previous figures for 2007 showed that only 660 people in Japan could attribute their lung cancer to asbestos exposure. This is significant, as asbestos-related lung cancer victims are eligible for aid from the Japanese government. This new study may cause thousands of Japanese citizens to apply for aid from their government.

The presence of pleural plaques was used to link asbestos exposure to lung cancer in the study. Pleural plaques are a thickening of lung membranes, and develop due to asbestos exposure. The study examined a total of 471 patients from 2006-2007 throughout Japan. The patients in the study ranged in age from 26 to 94. The research team discovered pleural plaques in a total of 28 patients using chest x-rays. An additional 58 patients were found to have pleural plaques through the use of high-resolution computer tomography.