Question:
A patient presents to you with generalized weakness and easy fatigability. He gives you a history of working in a factory with an exposure to Benzene. Which of the following cases would you suspect in this patient?
A patient presents to you with generalized weakness and easy fatigability. He gives you a history of working in a factory with an exposure to Benzene. Which of the following cases would you suspect in this patient?
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Benzene has a specific and well-known target organ -- recall its hematological toxicity and carcinogenic potential.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Blood Cancer
- Urinary Bladder Cancer
- Carcinoma Gall Bladder
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Identify the occupational carcinogen.
The patient has prolonged exposure to Benzene, a well-known chemical carcinogen. Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon widely used in industrial solvents, rubber manufacturing, and chemical industries.
Step 2: Recall the target organ of Benzene toxicity.
Benzene is specifically toxic to the bone marrow. Chronic benzene exposure causes:
Step 3: Explain the symptoms.
Generalized weakness and easy fatigability are consistent with anemia secondary to bone marrow failure caused by benzene toxicity.
Step 4: Confirm with regulatory statements.
The DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) has determined that benzene is a human carcinogen. Long-term high-level exposure causes leukemia (cancer of blood-forming organs).
Other carcinogens and their associated cancers (for reference):
Beta-naphthylamine / Aniline dyes → Urinary bladder cancer; Aflatoxin / Vinyl chloride → Hepatocellular carcinoma; Asbestos → Mesothelioma, lung cancer.
Answer: Blood Cancer (Leukemia)
The patient has prolonged exposure to Benzene, a well-known chemical carcinogen. Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon widely used in industrial solvents, rubber manufacturing, and chemical industries.
Step 2: Recall the target organ of Benzene toxicity.
Benzene is specifically toxic to the bone marrow. Chronic benzene exposure causes:
- Aplastic anemia (pancytopenia due to bone marrow suppression)
- Myelodysplastic syndrome
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) -- the most important cancer association
Step 3: Explain the symptoms.
Generalized weakness and easy fatigability are consistent with anemia secondary to bone marrow failure caused by benzene toxicity.
Step 4: Confirm with regulatory statements.
The DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) has determined that benzene is a human carcinogen. Long-term high-level exposure causes leukemia (cancer of blood-forming organs).
Other carcinogens and their associated cancers (for reference):
Beta-naphthylamine / Aniline dyes → Urinary bladder cancer; Aflatoxin / Vinyl chloride → Hepatocellular carcinoma; Asbestos → Mesothelioma, lung cancer.
Answer: Blood Cancer (Leukemia)
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