A 79-year-old who died from a rare and aggressive form of cancer may have been exposed to asbestos when she spent time at a UK RAF base, an inquest has heard.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday that Marie Hitchcock from Balally, Co Dublin received the diagnosis less than a month before her death.
The great-grandmother was referred to St Vincent Hospital’s respiratory department by her GP in March 2023 with a cough, weight loss, fatigue and difficulty breathing for several weeks.
Imaging discovered fluid in Ms Hitchcock’s lungs, some of which was biopsied though no malignancy was detected, and she was subsequently diagnosed with chronic pleural effusion.
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Doctors noted that Ms Hitchcock was a non-smoker and had no known personal history of asbestos exposure.
A conservative approach was taken due to the 79-year-old’s co-morbidities including her elevated body mass index and she was discharged and kept under review thereafter.
However, Ms Hitchcock’s condition deteriorated in the following months, her daughter Ingrid said.
“She was literally dying in front of our eyes,” she said, adding: “My mum was a size 20, she went down to a size 10, she couldn’t eat.”
Ms Hitchcock’s family subsequently brought to her to Beacon Hospital’s emergency department due to right-sided flank pain, worsening fatigue and weight loss. Imaging on attendance subsequently suggested thoracic malignancy.
A biospy confirmed malignant mesothelioma as Ms Hitchcock continued to deteriorate quickly.
Cancer treatment was deemed unsuitable due to the “extensive nature” of the cancer and she was discharged home for end-of-life care on October 2nd before dying five days later.
The primary cause of mesothelioma, with which about 50 people are diagnosed with in Ireland each year, is exposure to asbestos, often 20 to 50 years prior.
Coroner Dr Clare Keane asked family present about Ms Hitchcock’s history, including where she worked and lived in an effort to link possible asbestos exposure.
The coroner heard that Ms Hitchcock spent some time at the High Wycombe Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Buckinghamshire in the UK while her husband worked as a chef decades ago.
Although banned in the UK in 1999, UK military personnel were exposed to asbestos in buildings on bases, and military vehicles in the past.
Some 2,700 cases are diagnosed in the UK each year, which has one of the highest rates in the world, according to Mesothelioma UK, with eight veterans claiming war pensions each month, a form of compensation for those who develop mesothelioma after working with asbestos during service.
However, Ms Hitchcock’s time at the RAF base was not considered a definitive link.
Dr Keane returned a narrative verdict, saying the cause of Ms Hitchcock’s mesothelioma remained “unanswered.”
“We know that the majority of cases are asbestos-related,” she said, however, she added it is possible that mesothelioma that can be “spontaneous.”
