The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposed individuals to carcinogens, leading to elevated cancer rates. Responders who received care through the WTC Health Program have higher survival rates. Twenty-three years post-disaster, we summarize cancer incidence and outcome studies in this population and highlight the importance of a dedicated health programme response.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Howard, J. Minimum latency & types or categories of cancer. World Trade Center Health Program https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/pdfs/policies/WTCHP-Minimum-Cancer-Latency-PP-01062015-508.pdf (2015).
Zeig-Owens, R. et al. Early assessment of cancer outcomes in New York City firefighters after the 9/11 attacks: an observational cohort study. Lancet 378, 898–905 (2011).
Li, J. et al. Association between World Trade Center exposure and excess cancer risk. JAMA 308, 2479–2488 (2012).
Solan, S. et al. Cancer incidence in World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers, 2001–2008. Environ. Health Perspect. 121, 699–704 (2013).
Li, J. et al. Cancer incidence in World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers: 14 years of follow-up. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 114, 210–219 (2022).
Webber, M. P. et al. Cancer incidence in World Trade Center-exposed and non-exposed male firefighters, as compared with the US adult male population: 2001–2016. Occup. Environ. Med. 78, 707–714 (2021).
Zeig-Owens, R. et al. Myeloma precursor disease (MGUS) among rescue and recovery workers exposed to the World Trade Center disaster. Blood Cancer J. 12, 120 (2022).
Jasra, S. et al. High burden of clonal hematopoiesis in first responders exposed to the World Trade Center disaster. Nat. Med. 28, 468–471 (2022).
Goldfarb, D. G. et al. Cancer survival among World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers: a collaborative cohort study. Am. J. Ind. Med. 64, 815–826 (2021).
Li, J. et al. Ten-year cancer incidence in rescue/recovery workers and civilians exposed to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59, 709–721 (2016).
Shapiro, M. Z. et al. Cancer in general responders participating in World Trade Center Health Programs, 2003–2013. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 4, pkz090 (2019).
Acknowledgements
This work was supported through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) contract 75D301-22-R-72244. The authors thank the FDNY WTCHP, the WTC General Responder Data Center and Clinical Centers of Excellence, the WTC Health Registry, the WTC Environmental Health Center, NIOSH and the New York State Cancer Registry.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors receive salary support from NIOSH contracts and cooperative agreements.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zeig-Owens, R., Prezant, D.J. Managing cancer following the World Trade Center disaster. Nat Rev Cancer (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-024-00730-6
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-024-00730-6