Reminder: Asbestos and Digestive Cancers

A 2025 study published in BMC Public Health has added new urgency to an old danger. 

Researchers found a significant increase in digestive tract cancers among people with pleural plaques, the scarring in the lining of the lungs that comes from asbestos exposure. In other words, even if someone doesn’t develop mesothelioma or lung cancer after exposure, the signs of asbestos damage in the lungs may still be a warning for serious disease elsewhere in the body, including the esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, and colon.

What Is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer that almost always comes from asbestos exposure. It affects the mesothelium, which is a thin layer of tissue lining the chest, abdomen, and other internal organs. The most common type is pleural mesothelioma, which grows in the lining of the lungs. Other types, such as peritoneal mesothelioma, affect the abdominal lining. There are even rarer types that affect the heart or testicles.

Mesothelioma has a long latency period, often taking 20 to 50 years to appear after exposure. Symptoms usually develop slowly and include chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, a persistent cough, and abdominal swelling or pain (i.e., in peritoneal cases).

Because symptoms tend to be nonspecific and overlap with less serious conditions, diagnosis is often delayed. Imaging tests, biopsies, and analysis of fluid from the chest or abdomen are used to confirm mesothelioma.

There is no cure for the disease, and treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery often only slow progress. Mesothelioma is one of the most treatment-resistant cancers, largely because it’s usually advanced by the time it’s found.

Most Asbestos Cancers Are in the Lungs…But Not All

It’s well known that asbestos exposure leads to lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma. In fact, lung cancer is the most common asbestos-related cancer, especially among people who smoked cigarettes[1] or other tobacco products while working with asbestos. For decades, doctors have focused on the respiratory system when tracking asbestos risks.

But that’s only part of the story.

Why asbestos is so dangerous to our health

Asbestos fibers are incredibly small and durable. They’re microscopic and invisible to the naked eye. When inhaled, many settle in the lungs, but some are swallowed, either from breathing through the mouth or coughing and clearing the throat. Those swallowed fibers travel down the digestive tract, where they can embed in tissue and cause chronic inflammation and eventually increase the risk of developing cancer. Fibers can also migrate through the diaphragm, the muscle separating the lungs and abdomen, potentially reaching the stomach or intestines from the chest cavity.[2]

This helps explain why people with pleural plaques, which was long considered a marker for past asbestos exposure but not necessarily disease, are now found to be at higher risk for digestive system cancers as well.

Digestive Cancers Linked to Asbestos

The study in BMC Public Health found higher rates of cancers in the digestive tract for people with signs of asbestos scarring in the lungs. These cancers include esophageal cancer, stomach (gastric) cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer and pancreatic cancer.

Each of these cancers is challenging in its own way. Some are aggressive with poor survival rates. Others are hard to detect early, and symptoms often mimic more common digestive issues.

Asbestos doesn’t work like typical carcinogens. It causes long-term inflammation, scars tissues, and disrupts DNA over time. People with pleural plaques may be carrying that damage in other parts of the body without knowing it.

Common Digestive Cancer Symptoms to Watch For

If an individual has a history of asbestos exposure, whether direct or secondhand, these symptoms shouldn’t be ignored:

• Trouble swallowing (especially for esophageal cancer)
• Persistent heartburn or reflux
• Stomach pain that doesn’t go away
• Blood in stool or very dark stools
• Chronic bloating or gas
• Nausea and vomiting
• Unexplained weight loss
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes, which can signal liver or pancreatic cancer)
• Fatigue not linked to activity or sleep

These may not mean cancer is present, but they’re worth a conversation with a doctor, especially if a person has known or suspected asbestos exposure. Further testing may be warranted, and early diagnosis can make all the difference in an individual’s quality of life.

What Testing is Available for Asbestos Scarring?

Pleural plaques, one of the strongest indicators of past asbestos exposure, can often be seen on chest X-rays or CT scans. If a patient is over 50 and worked in construction, shipyards, refineries, or similar trades, or lived with someone who did, asking a primary care doctor about early screening can make all the difference.

Doctors may also look for signs of asbestosis (scarring in the lungs), pleural effusions (fluid buildup around the lungs), or thickened pleural linings. While these findings don’t always lead to cancer, they signal that asbestos fibers have entered and affected the body, and therefore, an individual is at a higher risk than the general population of developing cancers related to exposure.

What If Exposure Was Never Officially Recognized?

Many people were exposed to asbestos without realizing it. Common examples include:

• Living in an older home during renovation or demolition
• Attending a school or working in a building built before 1985
• Washing or handling a spouse’s contaminated work clothes
• Working in offices located in older high-rises or industrial buildings

Even a brief amount of exposure can lead to long-term risk. Secondary exposure has been well documented in family members, particularly women and children. If an individual has a partner or parent who worked in an asbestos-heavy industry, it’s important to remember that they could have been exposed, too.

Health Checklist: Steps to Take After Asbestos Exposure

Whether or not a diagnosis of pleural plaques has been made, several key actions can help clarify individual risk related to asbestos exposure. These include:

1. Review Exposure History. Past environments and occupations can reveal potential asbestos contact. Important questions include: Where was residence established? What types of jobs were held? Was there close contact with someone employed in a high-risk industry? Reviewing common high-exposure jobs and materials can provide context for potential risk.

2. Request a Chest X-Ray or CT Scan. For individuals with suspected exposure, especially those over the age of 50, medical imaging such as chest X-rays or CT scans can detect early signs of asbestos-related changes, including pleural plaques. These scans may reveal lung abnormalities even in the absence of symptoms.

3. Share Imaging Results with All Treating Physicians. If pleural plaques or signs of asbestosis are found, the findings should be shared with all relevant specialists, including gastroenterologists, oncologists, and primary care physicians. This information can help guide future evaluations, especially if digestive symptoms develop.

4. Monitor and Report Digestive Symptoms. Changes in digestive health, such as difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, or persistent abdominal discomfort, should not be dismissed. These symptoms can sometimes indicate asbestos-related digestive cancers[3]. Early detection is often critical to improving treatment outcomes.

5. Consider Both Medical and Legal Consultation. Those diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions or those under ongoing medical surveillance may be eligible for legal support, including compensation for healthcare costs.

Why These Steps Are Urgent

Although asbestos use declined after being greatly restricted in the 1970s and 1980s, it was never completely banned in the United States. As a result, many homes and workplaces still contain asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). New studies continue to link asbestos exposure not just to lung conditions, but also to gastrointestinal cancers.

Updated findings have confirmed that asbestos fibers can migrate within the body, settle in various organs, and cause harm long after initial exposure. This ever-changing understanding makes proactive health monitoring and transparent communication with medical professionals more important than ever before.

Key Takeaways

While mesothelioma remains the most widely recognized asbestos-related cancer, it is not the only threat. Individuals with documented exposure, or those with imaging that reveals pleural plaques or scarring, may face an increased risk for digestive system cancers as well.

Attention to early signs, access to the right screenings, and awareness of the broader effects of asbestos can directly impact survival and quality of life. Those who believe exposure may have occurred, whether recent or decades ago, should consider both medical follow-up and legal advice to protect long-term health and rights.

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[1] Klebe S, Leigh J, Henderson DW, Nurminen M. Asbestos, Smoking and Lung Cancer: An Update. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 30;17(1):258. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17010258. PMID: 31905913; PMCID: PMC6982078. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6982078.

[2] Clin, B., Gramond, C., Delva, F. et al. Asbestos exposure, pleural plaques and digestive cancers. BMC Public Health 25, 686 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21969-0.

[3] National Cancer Institute. (2021, April 6). Asbestos exposure and cancer risk. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/asbestos/asbestos-fact-sheet.