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Case Reports
. 2017 Oct;8(4):241-243.
doi: 10.15171/ijoem.2017.1133.

Lung Cancer in an Orthoprosthetist Using Vermiculite

Quentin Durand-Moreau  1 , Matthieu Dezutter  2 , Gilles Quéré  3 , Gilles Robinet  3 , Pierre-Yves Le Roux  4 , Brice Loddé  2 , Jean-Dominique Dewitte  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Lung Cancer in an Orthoprosthetist Using Vermiculite

Quentin Durand-Moreau et al. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Occupational exposure to certain substances would cause cancer. Herein, we report on a case of a 58-year-old former orthoprostethist who died from a lung adenocarcinoma. He had a 3 pack-year history of smoking and a single exposure to asbestos during his professional career. Between 1979 and 2010, he used vermiculite plaques daily to build medical prostheses, using no personal protective equipment. Contamination of vermiculite with amphibole asbestos has been described in Libby, Montana. Expert opinion on this case has raised the hypothesis of the use of this kind of vermiculite during this period and the occupational etiology of this cancer. It seems important to point out the possibility of vermiculite-related lung cancers in unusual occupations in order to better document such cases in the future.

Keywords: Asbestos; Lung neoplasms; Occupational diseases; Vermiculite.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

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