[quote=davelj]A couple of things here. Clearly, firefighters are exposed to some bad stuff that increases health risks, but… jeez… non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer and testicular cancer are extremely rare. For example, there are only about 35,000 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed each year. So, telling someone that their risk of developing prostate cancer has increased by 28% – while certainly not good news – is like telling someone that their odds of dying in a plane crash have doubled (from unbelievably improbable to slightly less unbelievably improbable). So, don’t get me wrong, none of this is good news for firefighters, but… a little perspective.[/quote]
I don’t want to get into a debate on your points but I did want to correct one of your statements…
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2009 about 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only 1 man in 35 will die of it. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 27,360 men in the United States will die of prostate cancer in 2009. Prostate cancer accounts for about 10% of cancer-related deaths in men.
Of course I have no idea how many of those men are firefighters. I do know that many forms of prostate cancer have a high cure rate – but other forms are very aggressive. My dad successfully fought prostate cancer only to have another, unrelated cancer get him. A close family friend wasn’t so lucky – 3 months from first symptom to death.
Sorry – I obsess about cancer since so many in my family have gotten it.
