The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is tasked with implementing the Northern Virginia Firefighter Occupational Cancer Screening Pilot Program through a contract with a health system-affiliated cancer screening center located in Planning District 8. As detailed in Chapter 2 of the 2024 Acts of Assembly, the pilot program should be designed to:

1. Be multi-year

2. Screen at least 450 firefighters annually

3. Use an occupational screening and risk assessment for eligible firefighters within a defined age and risk band

4. Conduct a randomized clinical trial investigating the optimal type of full-body imaging for cancer early-detection for the unique occupational cancer risk of firefighters

5. Include an independent evaluation of the pilot program that assesses the effectiveness of the screening program and results of the clinical trials and the potential for use by other health systems in Virginia.

Per Chapter 2, VDH is required to provide an interim report to the Chairs of the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on the progress of the pilot program by December 1, 2025. This report serves to fulfill this requirement.

INTERIM FINDINGS

During the period of this report (July 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025), VDH selected and established a contract with Inova Health System, a health system-affiliated cancer screening center located in Planning District 8, to conduct the pilot program. Inova developed the infrastructure for the program and began to implement the program. Details of these activities are included in the report below.

Additionally, although it is early in the implementation of the program, Inova reports the following initial observations and findings:

1. Preliminary observations from the pilot study have demonstrated both a high demand for enrollment in the screening program and the clinical impact of these screenings in the firefighter community.

2. By the end of June 2025, the study had enrolled 195 firefighters, with 195 having completed the Multi-Cancer Detection (MCD) assay, 88 completed whole-body MRI, and 76 completed whole-body ultrasounds. Enrollment could not begin until February 2025 after the IRB was approved.

3. Interest among regional firefighters has exceeded expectations, and as of summer 2025, the study was working from a waitlist of over 400 firefighters.

4. Seven cancers have been diagnosed through the screening program (including 3 skin cancers and 4 solid tumors) among participants that were enrolled through June 2025 and have had their results reviewed (5.3% cancer detection).

5. The clinical team at Inova and the regional firefighter jurisdictions in Planning District 8 have developed and strengthened a strong relationship through regular meetings between the leadership of the departments and through Inova team member ride-alongs and fire station site visits.

6. The Inova team has been recognized for the occupational screening clinic with the Food on the Stove’s (a non-profit focused on firefighter health) 2025 Community Health Partner Award, and by regional fire chiefs who presented the clinical research team with a departmental appreciation coin in summer 2025.