Asbestos in lung cancer

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos in lung cancer, by J.L. Abraham (Chest, 1989).

The study

• Author: J.L. Abraham
• Journal: Chest
• Published: 1989;96(3):701-2
• Type of article: Comment, Letter
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M nos. 000048, 000106).

In plain English

This was a letter to the editor, not a research study. The author commented on a 1988 Chest article by Kishimoto and Okada on the relationship between lung cancer and asbestos exposure. The author wrote that the article's methods were inadequately described, for example not saying whether asbestos body counts were per gram of wet or dry lung, and that not enough data were given, including fiber dimensions. The author stated that the one x-ray spectrum shown closely resembled tremolite asbestos rather than chrysotile. On that basis the author questioned the article's conclusion that chrysotile was the most widely found component, and wrote that measuring both chrysotile and amphiboles was needed. The author also noted that the article did not mention asbestosis, that cases were missing or misplotted in the figures, that the text was poorly proofread, and that the references were not current. The author concluded that, unless retracted or corrected, the article could lead to much unnecessary muddying of the literature.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: letter to the editor criticizing a published article
• Who was studied: No population was studied. The letter comments on Kishimoto and Okada's 1988 Chest article about lung cancer cases and asbestos exposure.
• Exposure: Which asbestos fiber type (chrysotile or tremolite, and amphiboles generally) was found in the lungs in the criticized study
• Main results:
  • The author stated that the criticized article's methods were inadequately described, including whether asbestos body counts were per gram of wet or dry lung and the conditions of the scanning electron microscopy.
  • The author stated that the one x-ray spectrum shown in the criticized article closely resembled tremolite asbestos rather than chrysotile, and therefore questioned the conclusion that chrysotile was the most widely found component.
  • The author suggested that the criticized authors' reference chrysotile, which they did not document, may have been heavily contaminated with tremolite or mislabeled.
  • The author called for measurement of both chrysotile and amphiboles, and for documentation of fiber concentrations and dimensions.
  • The author noted that the criticized article did not mention asbestosis in its cases.
  • The author noted that cases were missing or mislocated in the figures, that the text was poorly proofread, and that the references were not current.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that, unless retracted or corrected, the criticized article could lead to much unnecessary muddying of the literature.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Lung Cancer.

Related studies

• Applying definitions of "asbestos" to environmental and "low-dose" exposure levels and health effects, particularly malignant mesothelioma — B.W. Case, J.L. Abraham, et al. (2011)
• Particle size for differentiation between inhalation and injection pulmonary talcosis — J.L. Abraham, C. Brambilla (1980)
• Fatal asbestosis 50 years after brief high intensity exposure in a vermiculite expansion plant — R.S. Wright, J.L. Abraham, et al. (2002)
• Commentary on pathologic diagnosis of asbestosis and critique of the 2010 Asbestosis Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Pulmonary Pathology Society's (PPS) update on the diagnostic criteria for pathologic asbestosis — S.P. Hammar, J.L. Abraham (2015)
• Asbestos inhalation, not asbestosis, causes lung cancer — J.L. Abraham (1994)
• Asbestosis occurring after brief inhalational exposure: usefulness of bronchoalveolar lavage in diagnosis — R.G. Barbers, J.L. Abraham (1989)

Browse more research in Chest, or return to medical research.