Lung asbestos bodies and pulmonary cancer in subjects without occupational exposure

Our plain-English summary of Lung asbestos bodies and pulmonary cancer in subjects without occupational exposure, by A. Andrion, E. Pira, T. Fadda, et al (Tumori, 1982).

The study

• Authors: A. Andrion, E. Pira, T. Fadda, F. Mollo
• Journal: Tumori
• Published: 1982;68(5):359-64
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 004657).

Abstract

Lung asbestos bodies were searched for in 65 subjects with pulmonary cancer and without occupational exposure and in 65 matched controls. No significant association between the presence of asbestos bodies and occurrence of lung cancer was found. Nevertheless, adenocarcinoma was significantly associated with the presence of lung asbestos bodies in men. The latter result suggest that, even in non-professionally exposed subjects, the possibility of relationships between asbestos exposure and lung cancer cannot be excluded.

In plain English

This was a matched case-control study from Torino, Italy. The authors looked for asbestos bodies, which they described as indicators of asbestos exposure, in lung tissue from 65 people with lung cancer. All had only possible or no occupational asbestos exposure. Of these, 26 were examined at autopsy and 39 from surgically removed lungs. Each case was matched to an autopsy control by sex, age within 5 years, and smoking, occupation and asbestos-exposure categories. Among men in the autopsy group, asbestos bodies were found in 5 of 23 cases (21.7%) and 6 of 23 controls (26%). Among men in the surgical group, they were found in 6 of 34 cases (17.6%) and 8 of 34 controls (23.5%). Neither comparison was statistically significant, and the numbers of bodies were low. When men from both groups were combined, asbestos bodies were found in 5 of 10 adenocarcinomas and 6 of 47 other lung cancers, a significant association (p = 0.014). The authors concluded that a link between asbestos exposure and lung cancer in people without occupational exposure could not be excluded. They also said their numbers were too small for firm conclusions.

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: Matched case-control study (1:1 matching) of lung asbestos body counts in lung cancer cases and controls
• Who was studied: 65 people with lung cancer living in the province of Torino, Italy, with possible or absent occupational asbestos exposure. 26 were studied at autopsy (autopsies September 1977 to May 1979) and 39 from surgical specimens (June 1979 to June 1980). They were matched to 65 controls drawn from 622 autopsy patients seen 1977 to 1979, excluding anyone with definite or probable occupational exposure.
• Exposure: Asbestos bodies counted in lung tissue, used as a marker of asbestos exposure, in people without definite or probable occupational exposure. Fiber types were not identified.
• Main results:
  • Autopsy group, men: asbestos bodies in 5/23 cases (21.7%) and 6/23 controls (26%). The relative risk for discordant pairs was not significant.
  • Autopsy group: no asbestos bodies were found in the 3 women.
  • Surgical group, men: asbestos bodies in 6/34 cases (17.6%) and 8/34 controls (23.5%). The relative risk for discordant pairs was not significant.
  • Surgical group: among the 5 women, only one case had lung asbestos bodies.
  • Asbestos body numbers were low. In the surgical group, cases and controls had no more than 6 bodies per 6.75 square millimetres of lung tissue. In the autopsy group, counts were lower than 9 per 6.75 square millimetres.
  • Overall, the study found no significant association between the presence or number of lung asbestos bodies and lung cancer in subjects without occupational exposure.
  • In men from both groups combined, asbestos bodies were present in 5 of 10 adenocarcinomas, compared with 6 of 47 other lung cancer types (2 squamous, 3 large cell, 1 small cell, 0 other). The association of adenocarcinoma with asbestos bodies was significant: p = 0.014 for adenocarcinoma versus all other types, by Fisher's exact test.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, because of the adenocarcinoma finding, a relationship between asbestos exposure and lung cancer cannot be excluded even in people without occupational exposure. They also stated that failing to show an overall association does not mean non-occupational exposure could not be a contributory factor.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The numbers were too small for firm conclusions about the adenocarcinoma finding.
  • Asbestos bodies mark only long asbestos fibers, while submicroscopic fibers might be the ones that cause cancer.

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: Asbestos Bodies, Occupational Exposure, Lung Cancer, Adenocarcinoma, Asbestos Exposure.

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