UCSF to Firefighters: Consider Bladder Cancer Screenings
A University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study suggests firefighters may face an increased risk of developing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), a cancer of the bladder.
Firefighters are regularly exposed to smoke and chemical fumes known to be carcinogenic. The body absorbs carcinogens and transfers them to the blood, where they are filtered by the kidneys and expelled in the urine. Chemicals in the urine can damage the lining of the bladder increasing the risk of TCC.
In the UCSF study, researchers screened 1,286 active and retired firefighters and found two retired firefighters with TCC. Since TCC typically occurs at a rate of 36 cases per 100,000 people (after adjusting for age and gender), the findings indicate retired firefighters may be at high-risk for the disease.
No routine screening guidelines currently exist for bladder cancer so UCSF recommends firefighters and their physicians consider regular screenings for TCC. As one SFFD lieutenant said,
“We need to know the potential health hazards of simply reporting for duty so we can be able to do something about it.”
Tom O’Connor
SF Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation
The UCSF Medical Center, the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), and the city of San Francisco have already formed a partnership offering free bladder cancer screening to active and retired SFFD firefighters – the first program of its kind in the US.
Results of the UCSF study were presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association.
If you’re a patient who’d like to learn more about bladder cancer, you can visit MayoClinic.com.
Sources: American Urological Association and the Federation of bladder cancer patients (FBCP)
Related Links: Firefighter Cancer Support Network; Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation; ohsonline.com
Technorati Tags: Matritech, Inc; NMP22® BladderChek® Test; oncology; occupational safety; genitourinary cancers; emergency services; urine cytology; Marshall Stoller, MD; job-related cancers; occupational and environmental medicine
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