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Retired Firefighters could be at increased
risk for developing Bladder Cancer
Newswise — A new study presented at the
Annual Scientific Meeting of the American
Urological Association (AUA) suggests that
firefighters may be at an increased risk of
developing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC,
or bladder cancer) and should be considered
for routine annual screening.
Currently, no
guidelines exist for regular TCC screening.
It is well known that prolonged exposure to
certain environmental pollutants and
chemicals puts humans at a major risk for
developing bladder cancer.
As the body absorbs carcinogenic chemicals,
such as cigarette smoke, the chemicals are
transferred to the blood, filtered out by
the kidneys and expelled from the body
through the urine.
Greater concentrations of chemicals in the
urine can damage the endothelial lining of
the bladder and increase a patient’s odds of
developing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).
Firefighters, who are regularly exposed to
smoke and chemical fumes, may be at a higher
risk for developing the disease than other
groups.
Researchers explored this possibility in a
screening study of 1,286 active and retired
San Francisco firefighters.
From August 2006
to March 2007, the subjects – mean age 45
(SD+9.7) – participated in voluntary urine
dipstick testing and point-of-care NMP-22
testing. 93 Patients tested positive for hematuria and six tested positive for
NMP-22.
These 99 patients were referred for upper
tract imaging, cystoscopy and urine
cytology. Of the group, a single firefighter
tested positive for both NMP-22 and
hematuria, with two patients – both retired
firefighters – ultimately diagnosed with TCC.
The age and sex-adjusted incidence for TCC
is 36 per 100,000. These findings represent
a higher incidence, suggesting that retired
firefighters may be a high-risk group.
Greene KL, Konety BR, Stoller ML: Results
from the San Francisco Firefighters Bladder
Cancer Screening Study. J Urol, suppl.,
2008; 179: 323, abstract 937.
About the American Urological Association
Founded in 1902 and headquartered near
Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological
Association is the pre-eminent professional
organization for urologists, with more than
15,000 members throughout the world.
An educational nonprofit organization, the
AUA pursues its mission of fostering the
highest standards of urologic care by
carrying out a wide variety of programs
members and their patients, including
UrologyHealth.org, an award-winning on-line
patient education resource, and the American
Urological Association Foundation, Inc
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