MONDAY, Sept. 13, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Twenty years later, those responding to attacks at the World Trade Center in New York have shown an increased risk of certain cancers, two new studies have confirmed.
Researchers found higher than average levels of prostate cancer among firefighters, medics and other workers who worked at the scene of the disaster on and after September 11, 2001.
And compared to firefighters from other major cities in the United States, those exposed to the Sept. 11 disaster had a higher risk of prostate and thyroid cancer.
Rescue and rehabilitation workers at the World Trade Center are known to have above-average rates of some cancers.
But new research is helping to further clarify the picture, experts say.
In one study, researchers found that the increased risk of prostate cancer began to appear surprisingly early, just over five years after exposure to the reactors at the site of the double tower and the toxic cloud of dust that surrounds it.
“We didn’t expect the latency period to be so short,” said senior researcher Charles Hall, a professor at Albert Einstein Medical College in New York.
Cancer often has a long latency – meaning that it develops many years after a person’s initial exposure to a carcinogen.
Hall said the new findings show that “we should not assume that all cancers have a long latency period.”
And that, he said, could inform medical action to respond to other large-scale disasters, such as major fires.
“This means that when we have such a disaster, we may want to establish surveillance earlier,” Hall said.
Another study compared New York City firefighters who responded on Sept. 11 with firefighters in other major U.S. cities. It was found that compared to their counterparts, firefighters since September 11 had a 13% higher risk of developing any type of cancer over the next 15 years.
Two specific types of cancer stood out: firefighters in New York had more than twice the risk of thyroid cancer and a 39% higher risk of prostate cancer. They were usually about four years younger when they were diagnosed with cancer, the researchers said.
Hall is also working on this study. He said the findings reinforce the case that the 9/11 exposures – not just the general exposures of the profession as a firefighter – contribute to cancer in some responders.
Both studies were published on September 10 in the journal Occupational medicine and environmental medicine.
A federal law passed in 2010 established the World Trade Center’s health program to provide health care to those who responded on September 11 and civilians who survived the attack. Among its benefits are screening examinations.
Dr. Jeffrey Calvert, a senior medical advisor in the health program, said the new findings complement the understanding of cancer risks in responders.
He agreed that the period between exposure and the increased risk of prostate cancer was shorter than expected.
However, as at present, there are no special screening recommendations for World Trade Center respondents or survivors. They are “identical” to what is recommended for the general public, said Calvert, who wrote an editorial published with the research.
When it comes to prostate cancer screening, men between the ages of 55 and 69 are usually advised to talk to their doctor about whether it is right for them.
In a new study focusing on prostate cancer, Hall’s team looked at data on nearly 54,400 men who responded to the World Trade Center disaster – including firefighters, police, paramedics, construction workers, volunteers and cleaners.
In total, 1,120 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. By 2006, respondents’ risk of the disease was no greater than that of men in New York State as a whole.
But that has changed since 2007, when their risk rose 24 percent above normal. And firefighters who arrived on the morning of Sept. 11 seemed to be at greater risk than workers who arrived later.
Hall said this implies a “real effect” of exposing the toxic plume to the site. The massive cloud is known to contain cancer-causing substances such as dioxins, asbestos, benzene and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Hall noted.
He advised respondents from September 11 to join the health monitoring program if they have not already done so. “There’s no reason not to do it, even if you’re healthy – or especially if you’re,” Hall said.
Calvert said the program “remains firm in its mission.”
“Wednesday [program’s] The success is its efforts to ensure excellence and effectiveness in providing medical monitoring and treatment for both physical and mental health conditions associated with 9/11 exposures, ”he said.
More info
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on the World Trade Center’s health program.
SOURCES: Dr. Charles Hall, Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Albert Einstein Medical College, New York; Dr. Jeffrey Calvert, Senior Medical Adviser, World Trade Center Health Program, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC; Occupational medicine and environmental medicine, Sept. 10, 2021, online