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Japan Study Shows 1 in 8 Lung Cancer Cases Due to Asbestos
By asbestoshub | June 8, 2009
Pleural plaques, or a thickening of lung membranes due to asbestos exposure, were found in one in eight lung cancer patients in Osaka, Japan. The finding is documented in medical research papers jointly released by 12 medical institutions.
The research team said the number of people who died from asbestos-related lung cancer could amount to several thousand people per year since roughly 60,000 people die from lung cancer each year in Osaka.
In fiscal 2007, only 660 people were recognized as suffering from asbestos-related lung cancer and thus eligible for government aid, indicating that many lung cancer patients are excluded from the aid as the exposure has not been confirmed as the cause of their diseases.
Between 2006 and 2007, the 12 medical institutions examined 471 patients who were diagnosed with nonmetastatic lung cancer, looking for pleural plaques.
The research team discovered pleural plaques in 28 patients, or 5.9 percent, through chest x-rays, and in 58 patients, or 12.3 percent, through high-resolution computer tomography.
Topics: Exposure |
