Asbestos-Related Cancers

The link between asbestos and certain types of cancer is at least as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer. The medical community is in agreement that exposure to asbestos can cause or contribute to the types of cancer listed below. If you’ve been diagnosed with one or more of these types of cancer, asbestos-exposure may be to blame. Dr. John and the Asbestos Health Line team can work with you to determine whether asbestos-exposure is responsible for your cancer, and we can also connect you to an asbestos lawyer who is experienced in recovering money for individuals with cancer.

“All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans.” - World Health Organization, February 2018

Cancers linked to Asbestos Exposure

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Mesothelioma

Many of our internal organs are surrounded by a thin membrane of tissue called the mesothelium. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that attacks the mesothelium. Mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. In his decades of practice, Dr. John has yet to treat even a single person with mesothelioma who was not exposed to asbestos. (Sometimes the person was exposed to asbestos through washing the clothes of someone in their household.)

Lung Cancer

The link between asbestos and lung cancer was first proven by Dr. Wilhelm Heuper, M.D., in 1942 when he published Occupational Tumors and Allied Diseases. By 1949, there were over 200 references in widely-available medical publications that showed the causative link between asbestos and lung cancer. Today, it’s basic medical knowledge that asbestos is a carcinogen and can cause lung cancer.

Throat Cancer

Asbestos can cause cancer of the larynx or the pharynx. The larynx is commonly known as the “voice box,” while the pharynx both assists in digestion and in speech. Asbestos can cause cancer to develop in both the larynx and the pharynx. We at Asbestos Health Line refer to both types of cancer as “throat cancer,” and have diagnosed or treated numerous individuals who developed their cancer as a result of asbestos exposure.

Stomach Cancer

The association between asbestos and stomach cancer is not as strong as the association between asbestos and lung cancer, but most of the medical community does agree that asbestos can cause stomach cancer. Because asbestos hasn’t been used widely in the U.S. in decades, much of the new research on stomach cancer and asbestos is coming from countries like Canada and China, where asbestos is still mined and sold in large quantities. Although the link is still being studied between asbestos and stomach cancer, it is strong enough that many of Dr. John’s patients with stomach cancer have been able to receive compensation from asbestos companies.

Colon Cancer

Just as with stomach cancer, the evidence linking colon cancer to asbestos exposure isn’t as strong as the link between asbestos and lung cancer; and just as with stomach cancer, much of the scientific research into the link between colon cancer and asbestos comes from overseas. In 2016, the medical journal Environmental Health Perspectives published “Occupational Exposure and Incidence of Colon and Rectal Cancers in French Men: The Asbestos-Related Diseases Cohort.” The conclusion of the article was that there is a “significant positive association between cumulative exposure to asbestos and the incidence of colon cancer.” And just as with stomach cancer, many of Dr. John’s patients with colon cancer were able to recover compensation from asbestos companies for their cancer.

  • The cancer doctor told me the kind of I had was aggressive. I say had because I'm cancer-free now thanks to Asbestos Health Line.

    Clarke Dubose
    Actual Asbestos Health Line Client
  • I went to take an x-ray and qualified for compensation. I would recommend it to all my friends I worked with. I've never been treated any better.

    Barney Bridges
    Actual Asbestos Health Line Client
  • My employer never told me the dangers of working around asbestos and as an operator, you just did the things you had to do. I recommend the Asbestos Health Line to everybody who worked in industry.

    John Malonson
    Actual Asbestos Health Line Client
  • My husband wanted me to be checked for asbestos exposure because I washed his clothes. Turns out, I was exposed. It's something you need to take advantage of.

    Joan Blankenship
    Actual Asbestos Health Line Client