ArticleFrontiers in oncology2023
Cancer risk and mortality among firefighters: a meta-analytic review.
Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Non-cancer mortality among firefighters: a meta-analytic review of heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, liver disease, accidents, and suicide.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Environmental exposures and multiple myeloma risk: A contemporary review of epidemiologic associations and mechanistic plausibility.Blood reviews · 2026Review
- Ethical Handling of Occupational Health and Safety Data in the Fire Service: Empirical Interview and Focus Group Study of Firefighter and Fire Service Leadership Privacy Preferences.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Non-destructive surface sampling of PFAS exposure on firefighter protective gears: Potential implications for occupational exposure.Journal of hazardous materials · 2026Article
- Ambient aromatic hydrocarbons and prostate cancer: mechanistic evidence linking benzene and PAH exposure to tumor progression.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Rural Leaders' Perspectives on Prescribed Burns: A Qualitative Study.Environmental health insights · 2026Article
- Firefighter Lung Health: an Impetus for Lung Cancer Screening Program Development.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2025Article
- Assessing cancer risk in firefighters in Northern Germany: a retrospective cohort study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Firefighting, other protective service occupations and prostate cancer risk: a pooled analysis of three case-control studies.Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) · 2025Article
- Work Exposome and Related Disorders of Firefighters: An Overview of Systematized Reviews.Safety and health at work · 2025Review
- Interventions to Reduce Serum Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances Levels, Improve Cardiovascular Risk Profiles, and Improve Epigenetic Age Acceleration in US Firefighters: Protocol for Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Awareness and prevalence of testicular cancer among German firefighters.World journal of urology · 2025Article
- Occupational Risk Factors for Skin Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.Journal of Korean medical science · 2024Review
- Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Not Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Firefighters: A Cross-Sectional Study in South African Firefighters.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Methodological and Practical Challenges in Synthesizing Occupational Cancer Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Firefighting is a hazardous occupation that is associated with an increased risk of select cancers. The number of studies has grown in recent years allowing for a synthesis of findings. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, multiple electronic databases were searched to identify studies on firefighter cancer risk and mortality. We computed pooled standardized incidence risk (SIRE) and standardized mortality estimates (SMRE), tested for publication bias, and conducted moderator analyses. Results: Thirty-eight studies published between 1978 and March 2022 were included for final meta-analysis. Overall, cancer incidence and mortality were significantly lower for firefighters (SIRE = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.91-0.95; SMRE = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.92 - 0.95) compared to the general population. Incident cancer risks were significantly higher for skin melanoma (SIRE = 1.14; 95% CI:1.08 - 1.21), other skin cancers (SIRE = 1.24; 95% CI:1.16-1.32), and prostate cancer (SIRE = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.04-1.14). Firefighters showed higher mortality for rectum (SMRE = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.02-1.36), testis (SMRE = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.00-2.67), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SMRE = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.02-1.40). There was evidence of publication bias for SIRE and SMRE estimates. Some moderators explained variations in study effects, including study quality scores. Conclusion: Firefighters are at higher risk for several cancers; to the extent that some (e.g., melanoma and prostate) are screening amenable, more study into firefighter-specific recommendations for cancer surveillance is needed. Moreover, longitudinal studies with more detailed data on the specific length and types of exposures are necessary, as well as on unstudied subtypes of cancers (e.g., subtypes of brain cancer and leukemias) are needed.
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