Short Answer: Yes, asbestos is a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) and asbestos exposure has been linked to liver cancer. This connection is still being researched, but there is a lot of data supporting it already, and asbestos is known to cause many types of cancer like lung cancer, throat cancer and mesothelioma, as well as other health problems like asbestosis.

How Can Asbestos Exposure Lead to Cancer of the Liver?

Asbestos exposure is known to cause most cases of mesothelioma (a rare, aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of the chest and abdomen). In addition, inhaling or ingesting the mineral’s microscopic fibers can also cause cancers to develop in the lungs, larynx, and ovaries. 

While asbestos exposure is most commonly associated with developing diseases in the lungs and the stomach, research has found a link between asbestos and a range of other diseases and cancers, including liver cancer. 

Because asbestos is known to be carcinogenic, studies are continuously being conducted to determine how it may link to a variety of diseases. 

“The overall evidence suggests there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.”

Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH) 1

Risk Factors for Liver Cancer Include Asbestos Exposure

In recent decades, there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of liver cancers in developed countries. There is a range of recognized risk factors for liver cancer, including obesity, bile duct cysts, chronic liver disease, hepatitis B and C, and habits such as smoking and alcohol abuse. 

However, these contributory factors are absent in approximately 50% of cases,2 leading researchers to consider asbestos causation as a likely cause. This hypothesis is supported by a range of medical research findings, as well as the correlation between an increase in diagnoses and the timeline of asbestos-related disease development in relation to when the use of asbestos was most prevalent. 

Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

In 2009, a journal article published study findings suggesting a link between cholangiocarcinoma and asbestos exposure.3 Cholangiocarcinoma is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts that connect to the liver. From there, a case-control study was conducted to directly test the hypothesis that asbestos exposure could be a risk factor for developing cholangiocarcinoma. 

The study comprised 155 cholangiocarcinoma patients undergoing treatment between 2006 and 2010. The occupational history of every patient was collated, uncovering each person’s prior risk of asbestos exposure. 

Findings were as expected; there was a marked increase in the risk for cholangiocarcinoma among patients who had a history of asbestos exposure. 

Another crucial finding was that the risk of developing an intrahepatic subtype of the disease was particularly high. With this subtype, the tumors develop within the liver’s ducts, while in the other type (extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma), they develop in ducts outside the organ itself. 

According to the researchers, this finding attests to the biological plausibility of the hypothesis since asbestos fibers are more likely to remain trapped close to the small intrahepatic bile ducts.

Additionally, there are other factors that support the link between asbestos and liver cancer. For example, cholangiocarcinoma is typically diagnosed in patients over the age of 65. This aligns with the possibility that cholangiocarcinoma takes decades to develop in much the same way as mesothelioma. 

Continued research backs initial findings

It has been over thirty years since asbestos fibers were first found in human liver tissue. They have also been found in gallbladders and in the livers of patients diagnosed with ICC. Still, research is continuously being carried out to determine the extent to which asbestos can and does cause liver cancer. 

Recent researchers state that, according to patient questionnaire findings, more than 40% of patients who are diagnosed in the absence of any (other) known risk factors for the disease reported a history of asbestos exposure.4 Given that asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period, this supports the theory that asbestos is the likely cause of an increase in the incidence of worldwide ICC diagnoses.

Multiple disease risk

Sadly, asbestos exposure can result in the simultaneous development of more than one disease, and there are several reasons for this.

Firstly, because asbestos fibers are so tiny, once inhaled or ingested, they can infiltrate a person’s bloodstream or lymphatic system. In this way, the fibers can travel to various areas of the body, where they attach to organs and tissues, causing asbestos injury. 

Secondly, cancers that develop due to asbestos exposure tend to be particularly aggressive. As a result, the cancer will often rapidly metastasize, meaning that it will spread to adjacent organs and tissues.

Unfortunately, victims of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma are often not diagnosed until the later stages of the disease’s progression. Consequently, the likelihood that the cancer has already spread by the time it is discovered is relatively high, and mesothelioma patients and either way, developing other cancers such as brain or liver cancer is a real risk.

The importance of regular screening

Because the risk of metastasis and multiple diagnoses are heightened, victims of asbestos exposure should talk to their healthcare providers about regular screenings to catch any disease development. This is particularly important for anyone who has received an asbestos injury diagnosis, but also for those who have experienced chronic exposure to asbestos and subsequently have valid health concerns.  

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If you may have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your healthcare provider about tests and screening to help detect the presence of asbestos fibers and asbestos-related damage.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

And if you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.

If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

1 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.
2 Brandi, G. Tavolari S. (2021). Asbestos and bile duct cancer. Research Outreach, 123.
3 Aljiffry M, Walsh MJ, Molinari M. Advances in diagnosis, treatment and palliation of cholangiocarcinoma: 1990-2009. World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Sep 14;15(34):4240-62. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.4240. PMID: 19750567; PMCID: PMC2744180.
4 Brandi G, Di Girolamo S, Farioli A, de Rosa F, Curti S, Pinna AD, Ercolani G, Violante FS, Biasco G, Mattioli S. Asbestos: a hidden player behind the cholangiocarcinoma increase? Findings from a case-control analysis. Cancer Causes Control. 2013 May;24(5):911-8.