Asbestos exposure and related neoplasia. The 28 year experience of a major urban hospital.

In a retrospective study of 49 cases of asbestosis, a steady increase in the frequency of diagnosis of asbestosis and asbestos-related neoplasia is documented from a major urban hospital since 1960. Although in the majority of cases the subjects were exposed to asbestos in a neighboring shipyard, in 20 per cent of the cases, asbestos exposure was in industries not related to shipbuilding, reflecting its widespread use. This selective population of patients with asbestosis more often than not had an associated neoplasm. The most likely accompanying tumor was pleural mesothelioma, and among cell types of lung cancer, adenocarcinoma was notably frequent.