This month marks the annual Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a campaign which aims to improve the outcomes for patients suffering from lung cancer by bringing together experts from across the world to aid research and boost awareness.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about screening and early detection of the disease, to encourage people with symptoms to go to their doctor when they experience tell-tale symptoms such as breathlessness and a persistent cough, to enable people to get access to treatment at the earliest stage possible.
Stopping the stigma
The campaign also seeks to increase awareness about the various causes of lung cancer, rather than focusing solely on smoking, which is the cause most widely associated with the disease.
One of their aims is to educate the public about lung cancer diagnoses which do not occur as a result of smoking, for example, in an industrial setting when exposed to chemicals, fumes or asbestos.
Asbestos and lung cancer
Unfortunately, historical exposure to asbestos can result in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Asbestos can cause scarring and damage to the lungs, which can then trigger the development and progression of the disease.
Asbestos-related diseases generally have a long latency period, which means that unfortunately, symptoms tend to present themselves sometimes decades following exposure.
Many patients and medical professionals often assume that, when a patient has been a smoker, that this is the sole cause of the diagnosis, even when that person has been historically exposed to asbestos. However, this is not always true. The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure causes a synergistic effect; meaning that the two causes can greatly increase the risk of developing lung cancer in the future.
How we can help
If you have a history of asbestos exposure in the past, regardless of whether you have a past history of smoking, our specialist Industrial Disease solicitors may be able to help you to achieve compensation.
Please get in touch to enquire about a potential asbestos-related disease claim, either by telephone on 01244 312 306 or by email at law@oliverandco.co.uk.
