What is asbestos related lung cancer?
Excluding mesothelioma, there is no particular type of lung cancer which is exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos dust. Both small cell lung cancer and non-small lung cancer can be caused or contributed to by exposure to asbestos dust.
Can I have asbestos related lung cancer even though I smoked?
Even if you were a smoker, it is possible that asbestos exposure has contributed to your lung cancer. This is because the risk of developing lung cancer increases in direct proportion to the level of your exposure to asbestos dust.
There is no clinical means of distinguishing between lung cancer caused by asbestos and lung cancer caused by smoking. However, there is clear evidence that if you have a 5% risk of developing lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure and a 10% risk as a result of smoking, your combined risk of developing lung cancer is 50%.