More cancers are tied to Sept. 11, and more are expected

Even though the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks took place 25 years ago, the number of cancer cases tied to the attacks is actually on the rise.

Northwell Health, based in New York, has seen a significant uptick in patients with cancers tied to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The health system is one of several funded by the World Trade Center Health Program to care for patients with illnesses tied to the attacks.

In 2023, Northwell reported 177 cancer cases tied to Sept. 11. The health system reported 235 cancer cases linked to 9/11 in 2025, and the system has seen 811 new cancer cases in the past 42 months.

Jacqueline Moline, MD, director of Northwell’s WTC Health Program, tells Chief Healthcare Executive® that the increase in cancer cases linked to Sept. 11 isn’t entirely unexpected.

“It's a phenomenon we thought might happen,” Moline says. “We were hoping it wouldn't, but it appears that it is.”

Moline says cancers often manifest after about 20 years, particularly for cancers of the organs. And certainly, some did develop cancers earlier.

But Moline says it’s possible that there could be increases in cancer diagnoses tied to Sept. 11 for years to come.

“I don't think this is the peak,” she says. “I think we're going to continue to see increased numbers.”

The World Trade Center Health Program identified more than 10,000 new cancer cases tied to Sept. 11 over the past year.

A study published earlier this year in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that cancers among World Trade Center survivors has risen 2.5-fold over the last five years, “highlighting a major cancer burden 25 years after 9/11.”

Tumors appear more aggressive

Firefighters and other emergency personnel responding to the terror attacks, and residents in New York City, were exposed to a host of harmful materials, Moline says. Survivors and first responders were exposed to carcinogens such as benzene, asbestos, and a host of different toxins.

Moline says it’s not fully understood how those harmful substances all interacted and affected those in New York during and after the terror attacks. She says doctors and researchers didn’t have any projections on how many people would be diagnosed with cancer.

But she says, “We all knew that cancers would likely develop over time just because of the nature of what people are exposed to.”

It appears the 9/11-linked cancers tend to be more aggressive than some other cancers, Moline says.“We feel like the tumors are more aggressive,” Moline says. “They spread quickly, they spread widely, and they seem more aggressive. We're also seeing that about 30% of our folks have more than one cancer.”

Some of the patients seen at Northwell have skin cancer and another solid organ cancer. Moline says some patients have had multiple organ cancers, such as prostate and lung cancer.

The most common cancer seen in the World Trade Center Health Program is non-melanoma skin cancer, followed by prostate cancer and breast cancer. Northwell is also seeing high numbers of brain cancer, and Moline says there have been increased numbers of very rare tumors, such as male breast cancer.

The vast majority of the first responders to Sept. 11 were men, but the pool of survivors (excluding emergency personnel) is a mix of men and women. Moline notes more women being diagnosed with breast cancer and uterine cancer.

Expanding outreach

More people are receiving care under the World Trade Center Health Program, which is operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. First responders who served in New York during the terrorist attacks can also be monitored under the program, but other survivors must have a condition tied to Sept. 11 to enroll in the program.

Moline says she hopes to see more participants in the WTC Health Program.

“I know that there are a number of people who don't realize that this program exists and is available to them,” she says.

“We're really pushing for folks — if they were working or living in Lower Manhattan — to make sure that they're in touch with their doctor, tell them they had 9/11 exposures,” Moline says.

She recalls a recent patient who was a first responder who noticed some blood in his urine, and he acted quickly and reached a doctor. He was later diagnosed with bladder cancer, and the patient is alive “because he listened to his body,” Moline says.

She says those who were in Manhattan should be aware of potential cancer risks.

“They should get all their cancer prevention screenings, and look after their health,” she says. And if they notice something isn't quite right, get it checked out.”

She also says there’s going to be a push to enroll individuals who were children in the New York area during the terrorist attacks. She says the goal is to understand the health implications for those who were very young.

‘Unbelievably rewarding’

Moline says it is sobering to be treating patients affected by cancers tied to the terrorist attacks a quarter century ago.

But she also finds it gratifying to be able to help those people.

“I think it's unbelievably rewarding, because every day you go, and you know that you were part of something that's made a huge difference, and being able to provide the resources to people. I hate seeing this cancer develop or that cancer or this respiratory condition, but I know that we can make their clinical course smoother, we can refer them into the best care possible,” she says.

“So we know we are making a difference, and that fuels us,” Moline says. “Yes, it's always hard to see your patients suffering and developing this, but, for me at least, feeling like we made such a difference in these people's lives is what keeps us going.”