ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — As cancer rates rise among firefighters, advocates in Buncombe County are amplifying calls for more affordable screening.
Research shows that firefighters have an increased risk of getting cancer and one type in particular is esophageal cancer.
“Esophageal cancer is very aggressive and very deadly; it has gone up by 500% in the last 40 years here in America,” said Angela Montoya, a clinical specialist at Lucid Diagnostics in New York. “Firefighters are at a 62% higher risk of getting esophageal cancer because of the occupational hazard.”…