Exposure to goats linked to rare lung cancer

London, Sep 25 (IANS) People who work with goats are exposed to greater risks of a rare lung cancer, says a new research.

The study has linked exposure to goats with a distinct subset of lung cancer, known as pneumonic-type lung adenocarcinoma (P-ADC).

“Scientists have noticed similarities between P-ADC and a contagious viral infection in sheep before,” said Nicolas Girard from the Louis Pradel Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, France, who led the study.

Girard and colleagues investigated whether a viral agent found in sheep and goats could be easily transferred to people who work with the animals, leading to risk for P-ADC, according to a Louis Pradel statement.

The study involved 44 patients with P-ADC and 132 disease free participants. All of them were asked about risk factors including their smoking status, their personal history of cancer and their exposure to goats.

The results showed that people who worked with goats during their lifetime were five times more likely to get P-ADC compared with other types of lung cancer.