£2.1m cash injection to help researchers detect asbestos cancer earlier

Mesothelioma, according to researchers, can take more that 40 years to develop.

Researchers in Glasgow and Cambridge have been funded with £2.1m from Cancer Research UK to understand better the long gap between exposure to asbestos and a mesothelioma diagnosis (Stephen Pond/PA) (PA Archive)

Researchers studying why it can take decades for exposure to asbestos to develop into a cancer diagnosis are receiving £2.1 million funding to help tackle the “long and painful legacy” of the substance.

Mesothelioma, which currently has a very poor survival rate, most commonly starts in layers of tissue covering the lungs.

This can usually happen following the inhalation of asbestos fibres, which can come from some building materials.