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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Evaluating the Role of Mitochondrial Function in Cancer-related Fatigue
Published on: May 17, 2018
Cancer incidence among male Massachusetts firefighters, 1987-2003
Dongmug Kang1, Letitia K Davis, Phillip Hunt
1Department of Preventive and Occupational Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Background:
Firefighters are known to be exposed to recognized or probable carcinogens. Previous studies have found elevated risks of several types of cancers in firefighters.
Methods:
Standardized morbidity odds ratio (SMORs) were used to evaluate the cancer risk in white, male firefighters compared to police and all other occupations in the Massachusetts Cancer Registry from 1986 to 2003. Firefighters and police were identified by text search of the usual occupation field. All other occupations included cases with identifiable usual occupations not police or firefighter. Control cancers were those not associated with firefighters in previous studies.
Results:
Risks were moderately elevated among firefighters for colon cancer (SMOR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.79), and brain cancer (SMOR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.10-3.26). Weaker evidence of increased risk was observed for bladder cancer (SMOR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.89-1.69), kidney cancer (SMOR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.90-2.01), and Hodgkin's lymphoma (SMOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 0.72-4.53).
Conclusions:
These findings are compatible with previous reports, adding to the evidence that firefighters are at increased risk of a number of types of cancer.
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