WTC Health Program Issues Final Rule Adding Uterine Cancer to List of Covered WTC-Related Health Conditions

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Stevens, yky0@cdc.gov, 202.245.0641

Women enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program will have full and equal access to cancer care and treatment if their uterine cancer is related to their 9/11 exposures.

WASHINGTON – The World Trade Center Health (WTC) Program has issued the final rule adding all types of uterine cancer, including endometrial cancer, to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions (List) effective January 18, 2023.

The final rule means that Program members with uterine or endometrial cancer(s) that meet the eligibility and certification requirements may now get these conditions certified as WTC-related health conditions. The WTC Health Program will cover treatment for members whose uterine cancers are certified with no out-of-pocket costs. Eligible members will also qualify for all Program benefits like monitoring, certain cancer screenings, and benefits counseling.

“This rule is significant as it not only provides access to life-saving care and treatment, but also recognition for the women who sacrificed so much on and after 9/11 that their diagnosed uterine cancer is a WTC-related health condition,” said WTC Health Program Administrator John Howard, M.D. “With the publication of this rule, a critical gap in coverage for women in the Program has been eliminated. All types of cancer, if determined to be related to 9/11 exposures, are now covered by the World Trade Center Health Program, providing women equal access to the treatment they deserve.”

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 established the WTC Heath Program and specified rulemaking procedures to add conditions to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions based on extensive scientific review and research.

This rulemaking follows an exhaustive review and evaluation of the available body of scientific evidence describing the causal relationship between 9/11 exposures and uterine cancer. The Administrator sought recommendations from the WTC Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) about whether there was sufficient scientific evidence to add uterine cancer. Based on their review of the evidence, the STAC provided a reasonable scientific basis for their recommendation to add uterine cancer to the List for all eligible members.

“The Program thanks the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee, cancer researchers and practitioners, and the members of the 9/11 responder and survivor community who provided their input and expertise throughout the public review and comment process,” said Dr. Howard.

For more information on the process for adding new conditions to the current List, visit the Policies and Procedures section of the WTC Health Program website.

Today, there are more than 121,000 members enrolled in the WTC Health Program—more than 26,000 Program members are women. Since 9/11, over 74,000 people have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions resulting from exposure to the dust, debris, and traumatic events of 9/11. More than 20 years later, as thousands suffer with chronic health conditions linked to 9/11 exposures, experts predict that the health effects from these attacks will continue for many decades to come.

The WTC Health Program is a limited federal health program administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Program provides no-cost medical monitoring and treatment for certified WTC-related health conditions to those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and is authorized through 2090.