Report tracks higher cancer rates among 9/11 responders

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on Monday published new findings from a three-year cancer study of 9/11 responders.

The study found previously unreported increased risk of tonsil cancer in 9/11 workers compared with the New York State general population. Research also confirmed prior findings of elevated incidence of thyroid cancer, skin melanoma and prostate cancer among 9/11 workers.

The study also confirmed prior findings of a reduced risk of lung cancer in this occupational group, which researchers suggest might be the result of low smoking rates among these workers compared with the general population.

Researchers did not confirm prior findings of an elevated risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma or multiple myeloma and found shorter latency periods for prostate cancer and skin melanoma than had been expected.

Among cancer patients, researchers found improved survival rates among patients participating in the medical monitoring and treatment program sponsored by the NIOSH WTC Health Program compared with the New York State general population.

Specifically, workers with prostate, lung, kidney or colorectal cancer had mortality rates that were 26% to 64% lower than those in the general population, according to NIOSH. Similar benefits were observed for workers with skin melanoma, multiple myeloma, esophageal cancer and liver cancer.

According to NIOSH, previous cancer studies of separate exposed groups were limited by small numbers and differences in methodologies used. To address these limitations, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine sourced information from 13 state cancer registries, the National Death Index, and New York City and state vital records.