With new technology, Fullerton firefighters receive esophageal cancer screening

Firefighters were at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton on Wednesday, July 23, being screened with new technology designed to screen for a pre-cancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus.

A study backed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that firefighters have a 62% higher risk of esophageal cancer and a 39% increased risk of mortality from esophageal cancer compared to the general population.

With firefighters exposed to carcinogens and petrochemicals when battling a blaze, the higher risk level for esophageal cancer shouldn’t come as a surprise, said Fullerton Fire Chief Adam Loesche, whose firefighters were screened on Wednesday.

The firefighters were given an EsoGuard DNA test, a noninvasive test using a small pill-sized device, which is swallowed.

Once swallowed, the capsule-sized pill, which is attached to a small narrow tube, is slightly inflated and pulled back a small way to collect tissue on the lining of the esophagus.

The capsule is then deflated again and pulled back out, where samples are collected, sealed and sent to a lab for analysis.

If Barrett’s esophagus, when the swallowing tube becomes damaged by acid reflux, is present, further testing is done to determine whether the patient has cancer.

“This is a very simple test,” said Dr. Sajen Mathews, gastroenterologist and chief medical officer of Providence St. Jude Medical Center.

“The traditional way of doing it is to do an endoscopy where you put a scope down into the esophagus and look for changes in the cells or a mass,” Mathews said. “But that requires sedation; it requires being in an outpatient surgical center or endoscopy center, and you essentially lose a day because you’re sedated.”

In June, Hoag Hospital in Orange County became the first hospital in the U.S. to offer the EsoGuard test. But Providence St. Jude Medical Center is the first to partner with a fire department to conduct the test with every firefighter in the agency.

“It’s being proactive instead of reactive,” said Loesche, the fire chief. “And so this is real important for my group of firefighters, and for all firefighters, for the whole profession, actually. What we’re looking to do is initially get our firefighters tested, and then hopefully use that as an example to get other departments, not only within Orange County, but within the state and then within the country, to just take the simple step to get this screening completed.”

People most at risk for esophageal cancer are White males, 50 and older, with heartburn or a family history of esophageal cancer, Mathews said.

Individuals who smoke or are obese are also at risk, the doctor said.

“So, this category of patients with two or three risk factors are extremely high risk for getting esophageal cancer,” Mathews said.

About 2% of the population has Barrett’s esophagus, he said.

“It’s a little uncomfortable, but it’s nothing that’s too bad,” said Fullerton Fire Department Capt. Jay Wisniewski, who received the EsoGuard test on Wednesday.

“Our fire chief is on board with getting us tested,” Wisniewski said. “If you do get esophageal cancer, it can be really bad. So if you can get some pre-detection, then you a lot better chance of a good outcome.”