[Lung cancer in a female non-smoker with occupational exposure to asbestos: a case report].

BACKGROUND

Until recently, asbestos was widely used in a variety of industrial processes. Workers exposed to asbestos may develop lung and pleural diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, benign pleural effusion, pleural plaques and mesothelioma.

OBJECTIVE

To describe a clinical case of lung cancer in a female non-smoker with occupational exposure to asbestos.

METHODS

The clinical and occupational history was based on the information kindly provided by the Occupational Unit of the National Health Service and on the case history of a hospital admittance in 2001, when the patient underwent surgery for lung cancer.

RESULTS

The patient worked for 6 years in an asbestos manufacturing industry where she was exposed to high concentrations of asbestos, and then worked for 14 years in a sugar refinery only during the summer. She had benign pleural effusion, pleural plaques, asbestosis and lung cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that a six-year exposure to high doses of asbestos may induce lung cancer and asbestosis in a female non-smoker.