Complications

• Malignancy

  • Bronchogenic carcinoma (most common malignant complication of asbestosis; smoking has a synergistic effect with asbestos that further increases the risk of lung cancer)

  • Laryngeal cancer

  • Also of the esophagus, biliary system, kidneys, and ovaries

• Pulmonary hypertension

• Cor pulmonale

• Right-sided heart failure

• Progressive respiratory failure

• Caplan syndrome

The most common malignancy associated with asbestosis is bronchogenic carcinoma, not mesothelioma.