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DIAGNOSING ASBESTOS-RELATED LUNG CANCER IN SMOKERS
Although some asbestos-related diseases are essentially specific to occupation (eg mesothelioma, asbestosis) others, like lung cancer, are not. This has led to concerns that certain asbestos-related cancers may be under-diagnosed, especially in smokers seeking compensation. Verger and colleagues have reported on physicians’ attitudes to such cases and the potential barriers to compensation as evidenced by a cross-sectional survey of French general practitioners and pulmonologists.¹ Participants were presented with case vignettes differing only in relation to a worker’s smoking status and asked to assess whether they were work-related. Respiratory specialists were four times more likely than general practitioners to classify a case as occupational. Classification was also three times more likely for non-smokers than smokers and more likely among physicians with a high workload or a perception that assessing occupational attribution was a part of their job description. The paper highlights the difficulty of making reliable occupational attribution in such cases . . . [Full text of this article]