Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - 24 years after the attack on America, cancer cases are continuing to be diagnosed. One cancer researcher says some cancer cases are in cases of first responders not on the scene immediately.
Ashley Snowden of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute says every cancer is different in a person. "The way cells regenerate and the way cancers kind of come up is unique in each body. So, the level of exposures that some of these people had more than 20 years ago at this point, it really just depends on on the way their cells generate their bodies," explains Snowden. She says the reason we're seeing them in general is based on the amount of exposures they had at the time that were really outside of the normal for what first responders deal with on a regular basis.
Snowden says the highest volume is in non melanoma skin cancers. "It's those two carcinomas are the more common skin cancers, prostate cancer is the second highest. Breast cancer in females, female responders and survivors is the third highest. Melanoma, which is a more advanced and severe type of skin cancer, is number four and a lot of lymphomas as well. That's number five," notes Snowden.
Snowden says 9/11 was a unique event for first responders. She says when those buildings collapsed, they were full of very toxic materials like concrete, heavy metals and asbestos, and cancer wasn't limited to those who immediately responded. "What makes this so different is it was really a combination of both the fires and the cleanup. A lot of the cancers we see are from responders who went down for the cleanup or were on the pile, as they say," says Snowden. She says typical turnout gear or PPE wasn't always used. "For example, a huge response was from the New York State Police, and they don't really have the same protective gear as a firefighter would, and even the firefighters that were responding may have not felt that they needed to take the same precautions that they would for an active fire." Snowden says the magnitude of this event was also really unprecedented. "So when something so big like that happens, I think sometimes protocols kind of go by the wayside, and everyone just kind of rolls up their sleeves, essentially and literally and figuratively in this case, and really just tries to help and not thinking about the consequences," adds Snowden.
Snowden says early detection is key. "I think the communication now is so much different than it was in the beginning, when this all happened. It was really, people kind of just responded to the call and went and did what they had to do, and weren't thinking about the long term consequences of that," notes Snowden. She says the World Trade Center Health Program has been an incredible resource and source of support for these responders, to give them the education of what things to look for, what potential cancers they might be at risk for, and providing monitoring and follow up for annually for these people, so that they can stay on top of their Health and be educated on kind of what signs and symptoms to look for.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC on Sept. 11, 2001.