November 23rd, 2005

It has been suggested that exposure to asbestos could heighten the risk of colon cancer in men. The data comes from United States researchers, after a study was performed making comparisons between men who had been exposed to this carcinogenic substance and men who had not. Investigators revealed their results in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Dr. Mark R. Cullen from Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, stated: "This issue has been long contentious, and raises the interesting issue of how the fibers cause cancer in the gut." The information from a cancer prevention trial was used to make investigations into the increased risk of colon cancer in men exposed to asbestos.

Researchers reported that the men in the asbestos exposed group used for the study has a thirty-six percent higher chance of developing colon cancer than those in the non-exposed group. It was also revealed that the men with long term exposure of 21-30 years had a seventy-four percent higher chance of developing the cancer than those with exposure of ten years or under.

Dr. Cullen stated that in light of the heightened risk of those exposed to asbestos cancer screening "should be aggressively pursued in view of their higher risk."