NewsIn memory
What Steve McQueen's Story Can Help Us Understand About Mesothelioma
The 'King of Cool' died of mesothelioma in 1980, a cancer linked to asbestos. Here is what that diagnosis means, explained calmly and simply.
A plain-language summary based on public reporting and trusted sources, linked below.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
What the wire reported in 1980
Steve McQueen died on November 7, 1980, in Juárez, Mexico. He was 50.
UPI reported the details the same day. A surgeon at the Santa Rosa Clinic, Dr. Cesar Santos Vargas, said he had operated for three hours the day before. He said he found a very large tumor in the right lung. It had spread to the left lung, the neck and the gut. McQueen died of a heart attack at 3:42 a.m.
An earlier UPI story, in October 1980, named the diagnosis as mesothelioma. It also named the place. He was at the Plaza Santa Maria Clinic in Baja California. He was being given Laetrile and shots of animal tissue extract.
That is what was reported at the time. We do not go past it, and we do not speculate about how he was exposed.
The cancer
Mesothelioma begins in the mesothelium, the thin membrane that lines the chest and the abdomen. NCI describes it as a relatively rare cancer of those linings.
There are two main sites. The pleura wraps the lungs. The peritoneum lines the belly.
Fluid build-up is the main problem. NCI's summary for doctors says such fluid, called an effusion, is a major symptom for at least 66 percent of patients.
Asbestos is behind most cases. NCI reports that IARC found clear evidence that asbestos causes this cancer. It also causes cancer of the lung, the larynx and the ovary.
NCI says most cases of this cancer are thought to come from asbestos. Its clinical summary puts a known history of asbestos exposure at about 70 to 80 percent of cases.
It was used in insulation, roofing, cement, and ceiling and floor tiles. It lagged boilers and steam pipes on ships. It went into brake shoes and clutch pads. Our page on asbestos exposure and cancer risk covers who was most often exposed.
When to get checked
NCI lists these signs. Any of them is a reason to see a doctor, and several together more so. Past asbestos exposure makes it more urgent. It also belongs in your written medical history.
- Trouble breathing.
- Cough.
- Pain under the rib cage.
- Pain or swelling in the abdomen.
- Lumps in the abdomen.
- Constipation.
- Blood clots forming when they should not.
- Weight loss for no known reason.
- Fatigue.
There is no screening test for this cancer in the general public. The gap between exposure and disease can run for decades. So the link is rarely obvious to the person affected.
How it is worked up
Work-up starts with a chest x-ray and a CT scan. Tissue confirms it. NCI lists five ways to get that tissue: needle biopsy, thoracoscopy, thoracotomy, peritoneoscopy and open biopsy.
Treatment depends on stage. In the chest, surgery can mean wide local excision. It can mean pleurectomy and decortication, which strips the lining off the lung. The largest option is extrapleural pneumonectomy. That takes a whole lung, plus the chest lining, the diaphragm and the sac around the heart.
Pleurodesis is different. It seals the space so fluid stops coming back.
For disease in the belly, NCI describes HIPEC. The full name is hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The surgeon removes all the cancer that can be seen. Then a heated drug solution is pumped through the belly.
Radiation, systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy also have roles. Our page on mesothelioma covers the options in more detail.
What happened to Laetrile
The treatment McQueen received in 1980 has since been tested properly, and the answer is on record.
Laetrile is another name for amygdalin, a chemical found in the pits of many fruits. NCI's summary states that hydrogen cyanide is thought to be the main anticancer compound it releases.
The National Cancer Institute ran phase I and phase II trials. In the phase II study, reported in 1982, 175 patients could be judged. One responded, and that response lasted 10 weeks.
Fifty-four percent were clearly worse by the end of the drip course. All of them were worse 7 months after it ended.
NCI's summary is blunt about the whole record. Laetrile has shown little anticancer activity in animal studies and none in human clinical trials.
The harms are real. Side effects mirror cyanide poisoning. NCI names liver damage, trouble walking from nerve damage, fever, coma and death.
Blood cyanide rose after oral doses. Two patients in the phase I study got signs of cyanide poisoning after eating raw almonds during treatment.
Laetrile is not approved in the United States. In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on shipping it between states. NCI also records that batches from Mexico have carried wrong labels. Some were found to hold bacteria.
What this does not mean
It does not mean one treatment could have changed the outcome. NCI lists what the outlook turns on. Stage. Tumor size. Whether surgery can remove it all. How much fluid there is. Age, activity level, and how the heart and lungs are working. How the cells look under a microscope. White cell count and hemoglobin. And sex.
It does not mean an untested treatment is safe just because standard options are thin. A trial can return a negative answer. This one did.
Our page on what clinical trials are explains what a properly run study looks like. It is worth reading before agreeing to anything offered outside standard care.
Sources
- UPI Archives, Nov. 7, 1980, Actor Steve McQueen, a movie tough guy stricken with terminal cancer — https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/07/Actor-Steve-McQueen-a-movie-tough-guy-stricken-with/6154342421200/
- UPI Archives, Oct. 24, 1980, Actor Steve McQueen, suffering from a rare and frequently terminal form of cancer — https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/24/Actor-Steve-McQueen-suffering-from-a-rare-and-frequently/4444341208000/
- NCI, Mesothelioma Symptoms — https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma/symptoms
- NCI, Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis — https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma/diagnosis-prognosis
- NCI, Mesothelioma Treatment (Patient Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma/patient/mesothelioma-treatment-pdq
- NCI PDQ, Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment (Health Professional Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma/hp/mesothelioma-treatment-pdq
- NCI PDQ, Laetrile/Amygdalin (Health Professional Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/laetrile-pdq
- NCI, Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk — https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/asbestos/asbestos-fact-sheet
How this article was prepared
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.
The National Cancer Information Foundation publishes Cancer Explained. This page is for learning. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.
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Put the story in context
Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Mesothelioma. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
Learn about this story’s cancer topic
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.