World Trade Center Responders at Higher Risk for Head, Neck Cancers

World Trade Center (WTC) responders are more likely to have human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck cancers, reveals a new study.

Workers and volunteers who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) might face a higher risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck cancers, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the International Journal of Cancer.//

Rutgers study has found a significant increase in head and neck cancers among workers and volunteers who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), pointing to newly emerging risks that require ongoing monitoring and treatment of those who were exposed during the initial response.

Oropharyngeal Cancer - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Complications and Prevention
Oropharyngeal cancer affects the central region of the pharynx, the middle part of the throat. Human papillomavirus and smoking are major risk factors. Main symptoms are lump in the neck and persistent sore throat.

‘World Trade Center (WTC) responders are more likely to have human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck cancers, reveals a new study.’
Read More..

The study, which is the first to report on head and neck cancers in WTC first responders, found a 40 percent increase in the diagnosis of these diseases between 2009 and 2012.

The findings highlight the need to examine the potentially carcinogenic effects of WTC exposure in the context of other strong risk factors and the need for continued medical monitoring of WTC responders, particularly the police and military.

"Since cancers are diseases of long latency, the findings of significant excess cancer in this period point to a newly emerging trend that requires ongoing monitoring and treatment of WTC-exposed persons," said lead author Judith Graber, an associate professor at Rutgers School of Public Health and a researcher at Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.

Head and Neck Cancers - Types, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments
Head and neck cancers usually occur in the squamous cells lining the moist, mucosal surfaces inside the head and neck.

The results were part of a two-year study funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examining whether first responders were at greater risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)--related throat and tongue cancer because of their exposure during recovery efforts in lower Manhattan.

The most prevalent increases were oropharyngeal cancers, which are often associated with HPV infection, and laryngeal cancer, but not oral and nasal cancers. The study also found that head and neck cancers were most associated with responders who were over 55, were non-Hispanic whites or who worked in military or protective service occupations and performed rescue and recovery and maintained the perimeter after the attacks.

Biomarkers Can Help Discover Lung Problems in 9/11 Firefighters
Blood biomarkers may aid in discovery of accelerated loss of lung function and airway obstruction in 9/11 firefighters who were exposed to dust at the collapse of World Trade Center.

The research began when clinicians treating WTC-exposed responders at Rutgers' World Trade Center Health Program became concerned about a usually high number of patients with cancers of the head and neck. They compared the incidence of head and neck cancers in 73 people among the program's 33,809 WTC responders from 2003 through 2012 to the number of expected cases based on the New Jersey State Cancer Registry.

"This excess occurrence in head and neck cancers is plausible since first responders inhaled debris clouds containing many known carcinogens," said Graber, who is also an associate member in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

9/11 Rescue Workers Who Arrived Early on the Scene Face Chronic Illnesses
They were almost four times as likely to have acid reflux and rhinosinusitis, seven times more to have PTSD, and twice as likely suffer from depression.

"In addition, these carcinogenic exposures might add to or increase the effect of known personal risk factors for some head and neck cancers, such as tobacco smoking, heavy alcohol use, and oral HPV infection."

The findings highlight the need to examine the potentially carcinogenic effects of WTC exposure in the context of other strong risk factors and the need for continued medical monitoring of WTC responders.

Source-Eurekalert