Awareness and prevalence of testicular cancer among German firefighters

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the awareness about their occupational elevated risk for testicular cancer, we conducted a cross-sectional study among German firefighters, as studies indicate that firefighters may be at an elevated risk for developing testicular cancer. One cause may be the exposure to carcinogenic chemicals during occupation.

Materials and methods: A survey containing 22 questions was distributed to fire stations (including career firefighters and volunteer firefighters) in Germany. Various channels were used to distribute the survey. Statistics were performed using chi-squared test, exact binomial test, or Fisher's exact test. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering was performed.

Results: Data for 1324 participants was analyzed. We detected a prevalence of testicular cancer of 3.6% in our cohort. Most participants demonstrate a low awareness for testicular cancer, as only 19% were aware of their elevated risk. 89% would appreciate more information regarding their elevated risk and 90% of the participants would appreciate regular check-ups. Record of service was significantly associated with an elevated risk of testicular cancer in our cohort (factor 2.87).

Conclusion: This is the largest study to date examining the awareness and prevalence of testicular cancer among firefighters. Awareness of testicular cancer among participating firefighters is low, but the demand for regular check-ups is high. This highlights the necessity for providing special health education for firefighters.