Understanding WTC Dust Exposure and Prostate Cancer
Official title: Assessing the impact of WTC dust exposure on prostate cancer recurrence
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11074518 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how exposure to World Trade Center dust might affect prostate cancer in people who were there during 9/11.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $499,997 |
| NIH project number | 5U01OH012628-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11074518 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future related studies would be individuals who were exposed to World Trade Center dust during the 9/11 attacks and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have not been exposed to World Trade Center dust or do not have prostate cancer would likely not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
We know that the dust from the World Trade Center contained substances that could cause cancer and inflammation. Previous observations suggest that people exposed to this dust might have a higher chance of developing certain cancers, including prostate cancer. This work aims to understand if inflammation caused by WTC dust might play a role in promoting prostate cancer. By studying this connection, we hope to learn more about how WTC dust exposure impacts prostate cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us better understand why prostate cancer might be more common or aggressive in individuals exposed to WTC dust, potentially leading to improved screening or treatment strategies for this group.
How similar studies have gone: Prior cohort studies have shown increased cancer rates, including prostate cancer, among WTC responders, and animal models suggest WTC dust-induced inflammation may promote prostate cancer.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aaronson, Stuart a — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Aaronson, Stuart a
Related research
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Understanding why some WTC-related prostate cancers come back
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Investigating how exposure to WTC dust affects prostate cancer recurrence
This study is looking at whether breathing in dust from the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks might be linked to prostate cancer coming back, and it's for people who were exposed to that dust and want to understand how it could affect their health over time.
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Keloid recurrence study using multi-omics in diverse patients
A research effort will look at why keloids come back after surgery, especially in African American patients, using comprehensive molecular data from patient samples.
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Effects of ADT on motivation and emotion in prostate cancer patients
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Causal Protein Markers to Understand and Predict Prostate Cancer Risk in Africans and Europeans
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.