Fort Worth firefighters screened for esophageal cancer as part of potentially life-saving project

FORT WORTH, Texas - The Fort Worth Fire Department has teamed up with some local healthcare workers for a potentially life-saving project.

Firefighters are at a high risk of esophageal cancer. That’s why screenings are being offered to help catch that health concern quickly. 

Firefighters are routinely exposed to dangerous carcinogens that can cause disease.

The city of Fort Worth is currently taking steps to focus on their risk of esophageal cancer.

"There are a number of cancers we are prone to get," said Fort Worth Fire Battalion Chief Sherri Hauch. "I’d never really heard about esophageal cancer. "

Fort Worth firefighters volunteered to get screened for a cancer considered among the deadliest. It’s one doctors say firefighters have a 60% higher risk of developing.

"These cancers esophageal in particular has a poor prognosis, even in stage one," said Dr. Lishan Aklog with Lucid Diagnostics. "About half the patients who pick it up and stage one, the patients die. So we have an opportunity now to actually prevent esophageal cancer."

The screening takes about 90 seconds. It involves swallowing a small capsule attached to a thin catheter.

Hauch describes the quick procedure intended to detect pre-cancerous abnormalities.

"They talked you through it. You basically swallowed a capsule of a sort or sponge kind of a thing that when they bring it back out, it collects cells," she said. "And it looks for any changes in the cellular material in your esophagus."

The test aims to predict if a person has the disease or even a predisposed chance of developing esophageal cancer.

"If it helps one person in our department catch something early, then I think it’s worth it for all of us," Hauch said.

This particular test is not widely covered by insurance. 

In this case, the city of Fort Worth is making it available to 200 firefighters who wish to have it through an available grant.