Potential asbestos exposure among patients with primary lung cancer in Japan

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the extent of asbestos exposure among patients with primary lung cancer in Japan. Methods: A retrospective estimation of potential asbestos-exposed individuals, as determined by the presence of pleural plaques identified on chest computed tomography (CT), was conducted on 885 pathologically confirmed primary lung cancer patients (mean age 71.3 years, 641 males). All patients were diagnosed at 29 hospitals across Japan between 2006 and 2007. Since these hospitals belong to the Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (MIN-IREN), an organization of medical institutions for workers, the study subjects may contain a higher proportion of workers than the general population. Results: Pleural plaques were identified in 12.8% of subjects (15.8% in males and 4.9% in females), consisting exclusively of cases older than 50 years. They were found most frequently on the chest wall pleura (96.5%), followed by the diaphragm (23.9%) and mediastinum (9.7%). Calcifications were seen in 47 cases (41.6%). The highest prevalence of pleural plaques was seen among workers from construction-related fields (37.7%). No distinct lung cancer histology was observed in patients with pleural plaques. Coexistence of pleural plaques and small irregular opacities was observed in 2.5% of subjects. Conclusion: In a Japanese population representing more workers than general Japanese, 12.8% of patients with primary lung cancer may have experienced asbestos exposure at some time in the past. Special medical attention should be paid to individuals with a history of employment in construction-related occupations, as workers in this sector showed the highest prevalence of pleural plaques.

Occupational characterization of workers exposed to asbestos: an integrative review

“…A asbestose é causada pela deposição pulmonar das fibras de asbesto, ocasionando uma pneumonite intersticial com fibrose 55,56 . As placas pleurais correspondem a um fator de pré-disposição de DRAs 38,40,55 .…”

Prognosis of resected non-small cell lung cancer with pleural plaques on intrathoracic findings

“…Asbestos exposure is an acknowledged risk factor for primary lung cancer [6]. Although there are several etiological studies about asbestos-related lung cancer [9,10], there have been few reports on the prognosis of patients with lung cancer exposed to asbestos. In a previous study by Kishimoto et al, survival rates were similar between patients with asbestos-related lung cancer and those with nonasbestos-related lung cancer [8].…”

Occupational Lung Diseases: Underreported Diagnosis in Radiological Practice

“…47 Underreporting and undercompensation of lung cancer are wide problems for the various funding systems of various nations. 44,[48][49][50] From a radiological point of view, radiologists who are involved in the CT reporting of a lung cancer should always check to see if there are pleural plaques that would suggest correlation to an occupational exposure (Fig. 13).…”