For Fayetteville firefighters, the simple process of having their blood drawn means something big this year: getting tested for over 20 types of cancers.
The blood test, called the OneTest, is new to this year’s Fayetteville Fire Department’s annual physical. OneTest screens a person’s blood for markers of a wide range of cancers, including prostate cancer and mesothelioma. According to OneTest’s website, over 5,000 firefighters from departments across the country are using it to screen for early signs of cancer.
“We want everyone to be happy and healthy and live a full life,” Assistant Fire Chief Adam Ferguson told CityView. “We’re truly committed to everyone going home well and this is just one step in the many things we’re doing for our folks.”
The OneTest uses a machine-learning algorithm to identify molecules in the blood that indicate cancer before symptoms manifest. Its results assess the total risk for 26 cancers, flagging any possible abnormalities. By alerting a person to their increased risk, it allows them to speak with their physician and possibly seek early treatment.
“We know that the risk is real and it’s here and it happens,” Ferguson said. “We’re trying to do all that we can for our folks to reduce the risk for them. But if they do, unfortunately, come down with cancer, we hope that we can catch it early using this because the earlier you catch it, the more treatment options there are.”
Ferguson said the screening took almost a decade for the city’s firefighters to obtain, mostly because of the cost. The OneTest Standard costs about $200 per test. The premium version costs $345 per test and includes specific risk evaluations for eight common cancers, including breast and lung cancers.
The City of Fayetteville allocated over $45,000 to pay for this year’s tests for the 350 professional firefighters that run the Fayetteville Fire Department.
Occupational cancer — cancer caused by exposure to carcinogens at a person’s workplace — is the leading cause of line-of-duty firefighter deaths, according to The International Association of Firefighters. Seventy-two percent of the association’s members died from occupational cancer in 2023. A U.S. firefighter is 14% more likely to die of cancer than the general American, according to research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Firefighters are also at higher risk for specific cancers, including skin, brain and colon cancers. According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, male firefighters are more than two times more likely to be diagnosed with testicular cancer. Firefighters are also two times more at risk of getting mesothelioma, tumors that develop in the lining of the protective cavities that surround the lungs, abdomen, heart or testicles.
“All the reports, all the research, even the CDC, they all point to the same thing,” Ferguson said. “And that’s that firefighters have a much greater risk of cancer than the general population.”
https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/fayetteville-firefighters-screened-for-cancer-using-onetest/
