Medicinal Arsenic Poisoning and Lung Cancer

Abstract

We believe that there may be a causal relationship between the therapeutic administration of inorganic arsenic arid the later development of bronchial carcinoma. Six previously unreported cases are described (four female and two male). Arsenic was prescribed for psoriasis, rheumatic fever, convulsions, or as a general tonic. The average latent period before the clinical onset of lung cancer was 32 years, and all the tumours were poorly differentiated carcinomas. All patients had skin manifestations of chronic ingestion of arsenic. Only two of them had ever smoked cigarettes. A review of the recent English literature revealed four similar cases since 1953. It is generally accepted that arsenic administration may be followed by skin cancer. We suggest that a similar association with lung cancer may exist, but that it could be overlooked easily because of the long latent period. © 1963, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.