Barasch & McGarry Recognizes Kidney Cancer Awareness Month

March is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month.

Nearly half a million first responders and survivors were exposed to Ground Zero toxins after 9/11. They now have an elevated risk for many respiratory illnesses and 68 different types of cancer, including kidney cancer.

In 2022, an estimated 79,000 people will be diagnosed with kidney cancer — 50,290 men and 28,710 women, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.

Barasch & McGarry represents more than fifteen 9/11 first responders and survivors with kidney cancer, as well as several people who have been diagnosed with kidney diseases such as renal failure.

The major risk factors for kidney cancer include older age, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, long-term dialysis, family history, inherited conditions (such as Von Hippel-Lindau disease and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome), and exposure to Ground Zero toxins after 9/11.

Symptoms of kidney cancer are blood in your urine (which may appear pink, red, or cola colored), pain in your back or side, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, tiredness, and fever.

If you are a member of the 9/11 community, you can access treatment for kidney cancer – or any other 9/11-related condition – through the World Trade Center Health Program. Treatment often involves surgery to remove the cancer or the entire kidney, as well as immunotherapy or radiation.

Remember to visit your primary care provider regularly, report any changes in your health, and mention that you are a 9/11 first responder or survivor with a higher than average risk of many types of cancer and respiratory disease. 

If you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer or any of the other cancers or respiratory diseases impacting the 9/11 community, please contact us for information on accessing the World Trade Center Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. 

Visit 911victims.com or call 212-385-8000 today.