Asbestos Fibers Can Cause Cancer of the Larynx
Key Takeaways:
- Asbestos exposure has been linked to laryngeal cancer, which affects the voice box.
- Inhaling or swallowing asbestos fibers can cause long-term damage that leads to cancer decades later.
- People diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer (including larynx cancer) may be entitled to compensation.
Asbestos causes harm wherever it goes, including the larynx or voice box.
Cancer of the larynx, or laryngeal cancer, can start when you inhale or swallow asbestos fibers that lodge in the larynx. If you’re diagnosed with this cancer and were exposed to asbestos in the past, you may be entitled to compensation for the harm you suffer.
How Asbestos Exposure Can Affect the Larynx
The larynx is part of the body’s respiratory system. It’s a hollow tube that lets air pass from your throat to your trachea to your lungs. Your larynx enables you to make sounds, talk, and sing.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was widely used in thousands of products due to its strength and its resistance to heat, fire, electricity, and corrosion.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they can lodge in the body and remain there for decades, causing inflammation and increasing the risk of cancer. Because the larynx sits in the throat where air and swallowed particles pass, asbestos fibers can become trapped in the area, which increases the risk of laryngeal cancer over time.
How Asbestos Exposure Can Lead to Laryngeal Cancer
Asbestos fibers are incredibly light, so they can float in the air for a long time after an asbestos product is installed, disturbed, or removed. Anyone in the area may ingest, inhale, or swallow them. Because they’re so strong and durable, fibers can remain in a person’s body for the rest of their life.
Over time, the immune system will try and fail to destroy the fibers, resulting in scar tissue and inflammation. Over years or decades, the surrounding tissue can mutate and become malignant. Asbestos causes many types of cancer, including mesotheliomas as well as cancers of the throat and larynx.
What Exactly is Laryngeal Cancer?
Cancer affecting your larynx occurs after cells in it reproduce uncontrollably. As these cells multiply, they invade healthy tissues and harm your body, reports the Cleveland Clinic. Laryngeal cancer can form in the three main parts of the larynx:
- Supraglottis (upper part): Slightly more than a third of three laryngeal cancers (35%) develop here
- Glottis (middle part): This is where your vocal cords are located, and more than half (60%) of these cancers start here
- Subglottis (lower part): About 5% of laryngeal cancers begin here
About 12,500 cases of laryngeal cancer are diagnosed in the US annually, and it kills about 4,000 people annually. Asbestos-related laryngeal cancer is more likely to occur if you are heavily exposed to asbestos. Smoking tobacco and excessively drinking alcohol are also risk factors, according to the National Library of Medicine.
How is Laryngeal Cancer Treated?
The following treatment types are considered standard for laryngeal cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Standard treatments include:
- Radiation: This uses high-energy X-rays or other radiation types to kill or prevent cancer cells from growing. This approach may work better in those who stopped smoking before starting treatment
- Surgery: This involves physically removing the cancer and the surrounding tissues. There are different approaches where part or all of the larynx may be surgically taken out. Depending on the surgery, you may be unable to speak afterward. Radiation or chemotherapy may follow surgery to try to ensure cancer cells have been removed or killed
- Chemotherapy: Drugs are used to kill cancer cells or to prevent them from dividing. They may be injected into a vein or taken orally.
- Immunotherapy: This treatment involves restoring, boosting, or directing the patient’s immune system to fight the cancer. Substances made in the body or a laboratory are used
Which treatment is best for you depends on the following:
- The disease’s stage
- The tumor’s size and location
- The desire to maintain your ability to eat, talk, and breathe as normally as possible
- Whether the cancer has recurred or returned
After diagnosis, you should discuss with your oncologist which treatment approach offers you the best chances of success with the least side effects.
Legal Options for Laryngeal Cancer Caused by Asbestos Exposure
People diagnosed with cancer of the larynx may have the right to seek compensation. In many cases, exposure happened at work in industries where asbestos-containing products were used without proper warnings or safety protections.
Since asbestos-related diseases can take decades to develop, people aren’t typically diagnosed until long after the exposure occurred.
Legal claims can help you recover damages for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses related to the illness. Depending on the circumstances, compensation may come from a lawsuit, workers’ compensation claim, or an asbestos trust fund set up by companies that used asbestos products.
Family members may also be able to seek compensation on behalf of a loved one who passed away from larynx cancer due to asbestos exposure.
Call Us Today for A Free Consultation
If you have laryngeal cancer or another asbestos-related illness you may be entitled to compensation. To discuss your situation and how Satterley & Kelley, PLLC can help, call our Louisville office locally at 502-589-5600 or toll-free at 855-385-9532. You may also complete our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.compensation. To discuss your situation and how Satterley & Kelley, PLLC can help, call our Louisville office toll-free at 855-385-9532. You may also complete our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.