Implications for asbestos claims from research into laryngeal cancer

Each year, thousands of people across the world have to make asbestos claims in order to receive personal injury compensation for their asbestos-related disease. They may be suffering the effects of asbestos exposure in the form of asbestosis, emphysema, mesothelioma or lung cancer. Read more about asbestos-related illnesses.

Cancer and asbestos
There has long been a link between cancer and asbestos and much research has been done into how the tiny fibres can cause cells in the body to divide uncontrollably. The majority of these studies have looked at the effect of asbestos on the lungs and it is now widely accepted that unprotected exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer. Read more about asbestos and lung cancer.

However, some claim asbestos can cause not just lung cancer but a whole range of cancers. It is believed that there may be an association between asbestos and cancer of the oesophagus, pharynx, stomach and colon, as well as others.

Research into laryngeal cancer
Cancer of the larynx is a relatively unusual cancer, accounting for less than one in a hundred cases of cancer. It appears to have a higher rate of incidence in those who smoke and drink heavily than in the general population, but for some years there has been a suggestion that it is related to asbestos exposure.

In 1999, an investigation was undertaken for Yale University which reviewed previous studies on the possible connection between asbestos and laryngeal cancer. The researchers concluded that there was no causal link because the evidence found in other studies had been marred by experimenters failing to consider the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on the participants.

However, research in 2006 by the United States Institute of Medicine (IOM) came to a different conclusion. It looked at over 50 studies and considered the accumulated results to point to a clear link between asbestos and laryngeal cancer.

It is not yet known what type of asbestos can cause this cancer but it is believed that the disease occurs when asbestos fibres get caught in the disturbed air of the vocal cords during inhalation, causing them to fall in the larynx.

This research has important implications for those with laryngeal cancer who wish to pursue asbestos claims. It is thought that whilst case law is currently limited with regard to this cancer, in the future it may well become possible to make a successful asbestos claim for cancer of the larynx.

Get compensation: make an asbestos claim
If you have sustained an industrial disease such as mesothelioma or asbestosis and you would like to make an asbestos claim, we can provide expert legal assistance.

Our panel of personal injury solicitors are specialists in asbestos claims and have extensive knowledge and experience of both the law surrounding them and the asbestos-related diseases themselves. They are committed to helping our customers to the best of their ability and have a superb success rate.

We understand that many people worry about how much it will cost to make an asbestos claim but are pleased to be able to reassure our customers that they will not have to pay a penny. You will be protected from costs and fees at all times and there will be no deductions made from the personal injury compensation you are awarded.

If you would like to discover more about making an asbestos claim with us you can chat to a claims advisor online, telephone 0800 10 757 95 or fill in an online claim form.