Summary: Lucid Diagnostics celebrates testing the 4,000th firefighter for esophageal precancer using the EsoGuard Esophageal DNA test, highlighting the proactive cancer prevention efforts within the firefighter community.
Takeaways:
- Firefighters have a significantly increased risk of esophageal cancer, making early detection crucial.
- The #CheckYourFoodTube events, in collaboration with Mass General Brigham, aim to screen at-risk firefighters for esophageal precancer.
- Lucid Diagnostics’ EsoGuard test has been a pivotal tool in identifying precancerous conditions, helping prevent the progression to esophageal cancer.
Lucid Diagnostics Inc., a commercial-stage, cancer prevention medical diagnostics company, and majority-owned subsidiary of PAVmed Inc., announced that the 4,000th firefighter has undergone esophageal precancer testing using Lucid’s EsoGuard Esophageal DNA test as part of a precancer testing event.
A Precancer Testing Event
In partnership with physicians from Mass General Brigham, Boston’s Local 718 International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) hosted its first “#CheckYourFoodTube” event to ensure its at-risk firefighters could be tested for esophageal precancer. This milestone coincided with Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month and highlighted the proactive steps being taken by the broader firefighter community to address the elevated risk of cancer in firefighters.
“Early detection and preventative screenings are paramount in ensuring the health and safety of everyone, but especially firefighters,” says Sam Dillon, Boston Firefighters Local 718 IAFF President. “There is a startling number of firefighters being diagnosed with and dying from esophageal cancer, and the EsoGuard test from Lucid Diagnostics is able to detect precancer signals and allow firefighters like me to go through treatment before actually developing cancer. I strongly encourage all firefighters to take advantage of the #CheckYourFoodTube esophageal precancer screening events, as I did.”
Esophageal Cancer Risk for Firefighters
Firefighters have a 62% increased risk of developing esophageal cancer, and a 39% increased risk of dying from the same, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Group. It is estimated that there will be 22,370 new cases of esophageal cancer in 2024, and that 16,130 people will die this year from this disease, according to the American Cancer Society.”This was our 105th #CheckYourFoodTube event and represents an important milestone for our EsoGuard commercial efforts,” added Shaun O’Neil, Lucid’s president and chief operating officer. “We continue to build out a robust pipeline of these events which have been a key component of our overall strategy to drive test volume. We are grateful for the opportunity to help firefighters like Sam Dillon and other members of Boston Firefighters Local 718 identify esophageal precancer before it becomes a lethal reality for them. We would like to thank Kumar Krishnan, MD and Alexandra Maltby of Mass General Brigham for facilitating this #CheckYourFoodTube event, and UpScriptHealth for powering telemedicine consultations for this and other events.”