Smoking and Mesothelioma

Does smoking increase the risk of mesothelioma?

According to the American Cancer Society, smoking does not cause mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure does. However, there are important reasons why you should not smoke if you have been exposed to asbestos. The combination of these two factors has been clearly proven to damage the lungs in a variety of ways that are potentially lethal.

Research studies clearly show that cigarette smoking significantly increases the chances that an asbestos worker will contract other life-threatening asbestos-related conditions, including lung cancer and asbestosis. The incidence of these diseases in asbestos workers who smoke is at least double that in asbestos workers who do not smoke. This fact alone is an excellent reason why you should not smoke if you have been exposed to asbestos.

Effects of smoking and asbestos exposure

Combining smoking and exposure to asbestos severely affects the health of your lungs, making you more susceptible to many kinds of lung damage and breathing difficulties. Cigarette smoke irritates the bronchial passages and increases production of thick mucus. This interferes with the body’s natural ability to rid itself of damaging infiltrations by foreign substances including asbestos fibers.

Smokers more frequently have symptoms of lung damage such as a cough and difficulty breathing. Because these symptoms resemble and may mask those produced by mesothelioma, smokers should not simply assume that they are caused by their smoking. When they develop symptoms, smokers who have also been exposed to asbestos should be checked out by a knowledgeable doctor immediately.

Smoking while diagnosed with mesothelioma

Medical experts insist that patients quit smoking immediately when they are diagnosed with mesothelioma. Continuing to smoke could aggravate the mesothelioma patient’s condition and produce additional health problems that could complicate treatment because smoking:

• Interferes with the effectiveness of treatment for mesothelioma
• Increases complications of general anesthesia
• Impedes wound healing and increases the threat of infection after surgery

Doctors also advise family members to avoid smoking while around patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma because second-hand smoke may further aggravate their symptoms.