A Pentagon study reveals that military pilots and ground crews show high rates of cancer
high cancer rates Among military pilots it was discovered through a Pentagon study.
And for the first time, the ground crews who fuel, maintain, and launch these planes have also been shown to be getting sick.
Pentagon The study was released in early February, the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press said Sunday, March 19, that retired military pilots have long sought the data.
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Military pilots have been raising alarms for years about how many air and ground crew members they know are suffering from cancer.
They were told that previous military studies had found they were at no greater risk than the general US population.
The Associated Press reports that Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Jim Seaman has died of cancer at the age of 61. His widow Betty Seaman was part of a large group of pilots and surviving spouses who have lobbied Congress and the Pentagon for years to look into the number of cancer cases faced by pilots and ground crew. (Betty Seaman via AP)
But in a year-long study of nearly 900,000 service members who flew or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017, the Pentagon found that aircrew members had an 87% higher rate of melanoma and a 39% higher rate of thyroid cancer, As in the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, men had it 16% higher The incidence of prostate cancer And women have a 16% higher incidence of breast cancer.
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Overall, aircrews had a 24% higher rate of all cancers, according to the Associated Press.
The study showed that ground crews were 19% higher The incidence of brain and nervous system cancersa 15% higher rate for thyroid cancer and a 9% higher rate for renal or kidney cancer.
The study found that the incidence of cancer of all types was 24% higher in aircraft crews.
Meanwhile, women were 7% higher. breast cancer incidence rate, I found the same study.
The Associated Press noted that the overall rate of cancers of all kinds was 3% higher.
One of those to die of cancer was Jim Seaman, the pilot of the Navy A-6 Intruder, at the age of 61. He passed away in 2018.
Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Jim Seaman poses in front of his aircraft. He died in 2018 of lung cancer at the age of 61. (Betty Seaman via AP)
The Associated Press reported that he was among the group of pilots diagnosed with cancer.
His widow Betty Seaman was part of a large group of pilots and surviving spouses who have lobbied Congress and the Pentagon for years to look into the number of cancer cases faced by pilots and ground crew.
The Pentagon acknowledged that the study had holes that could potentially lead to a decrease in the number of cancer cases.
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It did not have the military health system database used in the study reliable data on cancer to 1990 – so probably not including pilots who flew first generation aircraft in previous decades.
Some good news too
There has been some good news, however, reported as well.
Both the ground and air crews had much less Lung cancer ratesAircrews also had lower rates of bladder and colon cancer.
Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Jim Seaman leans on the wing of his plane. Seaman is one of a group of pilots who died of cancer. (Betty Seaman via AP)
After adjusting for age, gender, and race, the data compared service members with the general population in the United States.
The Pentagon said the new study is one of the largest and most comprehensive conducted to date.
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A previous study looked at Air Force pilots only – and found some higher cancer rates, while this considered all services and both air and ground crews.
Congress requested the study as part of the 2021 Defense Bill.
Even with the broader approach, the Pentagon has warned that the actual number of cancer cases is likely to be higher due to gaps in the data — which it said it would work to remedy.
The study was Required by Congress In the 2021 defense bill, the AP noted.
Now, because higher rates have been found, the Pentagon must conduct a larger review to try to understand why the crew got sick.
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One in this file photo as it flew over Washington in March 2022. Now, given the results of the new study on cancer, the Pentagon should conduct a larger review to try to understand why the crew fell ill. . (AP Photo/Patrick Simanski, File)
The Pentagon took pains to point out that the new study “does not imply that military service in the aircrew or groundcrew occupation causes cancer, because there are many potential confounding factors that cannot be controlled for in this analysis,” such as family history, cancer, or behavior. Smoking or alcohol abuse.
Localized prostate cancer
Meanwhile, a completely different study found that men with localized prostate cancer wanted to avoid it Immediate surgery or radiation You can safely choose to actively monitor your disease as a treatment method.
This is according to a recent study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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The study authors determined that most men should not panic or rush into treatment decisions after a diagnosis, because the death rate from cancer after 15 years was relatively low regardless of treatment approach.
I started studying in the UK in 1999.
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It involved 2,664 men between the ages of 50 and 69 years diagnosed with prostate cancer in situ.
Of these men, 1,643 men were enrolled in a trial examining three different treatment modalities – surgery to remove tumors (553), radiation (545), and active surveillance (545).
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed reporting.
