Firefighters and Cancer: Bridging Gaps in Prevention, Policy, and Research

Firefighters face elevated cancer risks due to chronic occupational exposure to carcinogens, yet early detection and preventive care remain inconsistent. Evidence demonstrates a higher incidence of multiple malignancies, including prostate, colorectal, melanoma, and hematologic cancers, with emerging concerns regarding breast and cervical cancer among female firefighters. Despite the availability of established screening modalities, many firefighters do not receive risk-appropriate, guideline-concordant care because U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations do not fully align with occupational risk–based screening advocated by the International Association of Fire Fighters. As a result, primary care clinicians may be unaware of expanded screening needs for this high-risk population. Structural barriers, including limited insurance coverage, variable presumptive cancer protections, and inconsistent decontamination practices, further hinder timely prevention and early detection. Bridging occupational risk with primary care-based prevention offers an essential opportunity to improve early diagnosis, reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality, and better serve this high-risk yet underserved patient population.