The Glendale Fire Department will soon receive a federal grant for $1 million from FEMA to screen over 250 of their firefighters for cancer.
The screenings will be done using Galleri early cancer detection testing and will be conducted by Vincere Cancer Center.
"Today we are testing 50 firefighters with a new blood test called Galleri. This test tests for 50 different cancers with a simple blood draw, and it tests for the most aggressive cancers that we don't have any screening for," said Dr. Vershalee Shukla at a Tuesday news conference announcing the grant, according to AZCentral.
The test is performed by drawing a blood sample that is stored in a box that includes a small ice pack. The sample is then sent to Vincere Cancer Center to be analyzed.
Glendale firefighters will be joining their counterparts in the Valley to begin screening, including Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe.
Shukla says she’s been testing Phoenix firefighters for three years and has diagnosed approximately 90 cancers in around 800 firefighters.
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