Kang Augustine W, Lui Natalie S
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Falk Cardiovascular Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jan 22;25(1):281. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21432-0.
This short review addresses the pressing issue of lung cancer among firefighters, a population facing unique occupational hazards such as smoke inhalation and asbestos exposure. With lung cancer being a leading global cause of death, the study emphasizes the disproportionate burden on firefighters. Notably, wildfire smoke, containing carcinogenic elements, poses a rising significant threat to firefighters' respiratory health. Despite evidence linking firefighting to increased lung cancer risk, few studies have explored the underlying mechanisms. This study conducts a comprehensive review employing PRISMA guidelines to synthesize existing literature from 1972 to 2022. We discuss the association between age, race, and time spent fighting fires with lung cancer development. Our review also underscores the scarcity of studies investigating specific carcinogens and their role in firefighters' lung cancer risk, emphasizing the need for more targeted research. The study advocates for improved methodology, suggesting the use of individual-level exposure metrics like "fire-hours" to enhance causal inference. Despite limitations in current literature, the findings stress the urgency of understanding the intricacies of lung cancer development among firefighters and call for further research to inform preventive measures and potential screening protocols.
这篇简短的综述探讨了消防员群体中肺癌这一紧迫问题，消防员面临着诸如吸入烟雾和接触石棉等独特的职业危害。肺癌是全球主要死因之一，该研究强调了消防员所承受的不成比例的负担。值得注意的是，含有致癌成分的野火烟雾对消防员的呼吸健康构成了日益严重的重大威胁。尽管有证据表明从事消防工作会增加患肺癌的风险，但很少有研究探讨其潜在机制。本研究采用PRISMA指南进行全面综述，以综合1972年至2022年的现有文献。我们讨论了年龄、种族以及灭火时间与肺癌发生之间的关联。我们的综述还强调了研究特定致癌物及其在消防员患肺癌风险中作用的研究稀缺，强调需要开展更具针对性的研究。该研究提倡改进方法，建议使用“灭火时长”等个体层面的暴露指标来加强因果推断。尽管当前文献存在局限性，但研究结果强调了了解消防员肺癌发生复杂性的紧迫性，并呼吁开展进一步研究，为预防措施和潜在筛查方案提供依据。
