torchlight

REGISTRY SUMMARY (16 JUL 24)

  • Registry Purpose: The Torchlight Initiative Registry is a self-reporting database.  The database tracks cancer cases and other illnesses/diseases/disorders of military members who support or supported the Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) mission.  It includes the following career fields: missileer, maintenance, security forces, and other (facility managers, comms, etc.).  We also track military family members whose ailments may be related to incidental toxic exposures.  We intend to use this data to hold the Air Force accountable for the diseases and conditions caused due to ICBM-related toxic exposures and to hold the US Department of Veterans Affairs responsible for granting service-connection and providing treatment.  
  • Focus: Please be assured our focus is not solely missileers, Malmstrom, and NHL. We believe our current research into NHL is laying the groundwork for more comprehensive studies of additional diseases, illnesses, bases, and career fields.  Identifying statistical abnormalities in one group of individuals with one illness brings attention to the greater issue of toxic exposure risks community-wide and opens the door for additional funding and studies.

(Total Cases) The Torchlight Initiative Registry database has 656 self-registered cases.

DATA POINT ONE: CAREER FIELD

  • MISSILEER | 391/656 59.6% 59.6%
  • Maintenance | 136/656 20.7% 20.7%
  • Security Forces | 51/656 7.8% 7.8%
  • Missileer & Maintenance (Served in both) | 25/656 3.8% 3.8%
  • Military Family Member |13/656 2.0% 2.0%
  • Other or Unknown due to insufficient information | 40/656 6.1% 6.1%

DATA POINT TWO: DIAGNOSIS TYPE

  • Cancer | 516/656 78.7% 78.7%
  • Pre-cancerous and other than cancer | 140/656 21.3% 21.3%

Cancers reported include bladder, bone and joint, brain and other nervous system, breast, cervical, colon and rectum, esophagus, kidney and renal pelvis, leukemia, liver and intrahepatic bile duct, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, lymphoma (unknown), melanoma of the skin, myeloma/multiple myeloma, oral cavity and pharynx, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, small intestine, soft tissue including the heart, stomach, testis, thyroid, uterus, vulva, and other (mainly other skin cancers).

DATA POINT THREE: TOP 10 CANCERS

  • Prostate | 151 cases 29% 29%
  • Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) | 68 cases 13% 13%
  • Melanoma of the Skin | 39 cases 7% 7%
  • Colon & Rectum | 28 cases 5% 5%
  • Leukemia | 28 cases 5% 5%
  • Bladder | 25 cases 4% 4%
  • Thyroid | 25 cases 4% 4%
  • Kidney & Renal Pelvis | 21 cases 4% 4%
  • Brain & Other Nervous System | 17 cases 3% 3%
  • Breast | 16 cases 3% 3%

Multiple Cancers: 62 (12.0%) of the 516 individuals who reported having cancer indicated they had multiple types of cancer (two individuals reporting having 5 types of cancer each)

Additional Non-Cancerous Diagnoses: 43 (8.3%) of the 516 individuals who reported having cancer also reported having additional non-cancerous diseases/conditions, the most prominent being autoimmune diseases and thyroid disorders

DATA POINT FOUR: BREAKOUT BY BASE

  • Malmstrom AFB | Minuteman | 259/656 39% 39%
  • FE Warren AFB | Atlas/Minuteman/Peacekeeper | 123/656 19% 19%
  • Minot AFB | Minuteman | 118/656 18% 18%
  • Grand Forks AFB | Minuteman | 77/656 12% 12%
  • Whiteman AFB | Minuteman | 59/656 9% 9%
  • Ellsworth AFB | Titan/Minuteman | 48/656 7% 7%
  • Vandenberg AFB | Atlas/Titan/Minuteman/Peacekeeper | 45/656 7% 7%
  • McConnell AFB | Titan | 31/656 5% 5%
  • Little Rock AFB | Titan | 25/656 4% 4%
  • Davis-Monthan AFB | Titan | 23/656 4% 4%
  • OTHER LOCATIONS *SEE NOTE | 17/656 2.6% 2.6%

Note: Many individuals served at multiple bases. Other locations include Ofutt (Atlas), Chanute (Minuteman), Patrick (Atlas/Titan/Minuteman), Hill (Minuteman), Forbes (Atlas), Lincoln (Atlas), Schilling (Atlas), and Walker (Atlas).

NHL (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma) data subset: There are 68 total NHL cases from all bases (13.1% of the 516 cancer cases).

DATA POINT ONE: BREAKOUT BY BASE (NHL CASES)

  • Malmstrom AFB | 23/68 34% 34%
  • Whiteman AFB | 11/68 16% 16%
  • Minot AFB | 9/68 13% 13%
  • Ellsworth AFB | 7/68 10% 10%
  • FE Warren AFB | 6/68 9% 9%
  • Davis-Monthan AFB | 6/68 9% 9%
  • Grand Forks AFB | 5/68 7% 7%
  • McConnell AFB | 5/68 7% 7%
  • Vandenberg AFB | 4/68 5% 5%
  • Little Rock AFB | 4/68 5% 5%
  • Lincoln AFB | 1/68 1% 1%

(Note: Some individuals served at multiple bases which results in a total greater than 68)

DATA POINT TWO: NHL CASES BY CAREER FIELD

  • Missileer | 42/68 61.8% 61.8%
  • Maintenance | 16/68 23.5% 23.5%
  • Security Forces | 3/68 4.4% 4.4%
  • Military Family Member | 1/68 1.5% 1.5%
  • Other or Unknown | 6/68 8.8% 8.8%

DATA POINT THREE: NHL IN MISSILEERS AT MALMSTROM – SERVICE YEARS

  • SERVICE YEARS 1972-1996 |14/23 59% 59%
  • SERVICE YEARS 1997-2007 | 14/23 59% 59%

Prostate Cancer data subset: There are 151 total prostate cancer cases from all bases (29.3% of the 516 cancer cases).

DATA POINT ONE: LOCATION OF SERVICE

  • Malmstrom AFB | 42/151 28% 28%
  • Grand Forks AFB | 30/151 59% 59%
  • FE Warren AFB | 24/151 16% 16%
  • Minot AFB | 22/151 15% 15%
  • Whiteman AFB | 18/151 12% 12%
  • Ellsworth AFB | 15/151 10% 10%
  • Vandenberg AFB | 12/151 8% 8%
  • Little Rock AFB | 10/151 7% 7%
  • McConnell AFB | 10/151 7% 7%
  • Davis-Monthan AFB | 8/151 5% 5%
  • Chanute AFB | 3/151 2% 2%
  • Hill AFB | 1/151 .7% .7%
  • Patrick AFB | 1/151 .7% .7%
  • Walker AFB | 1/151 .7% .7%

(Note: Some individuals served at multiple bases which results in a total greater than 132.)

DATA POINT TWO: PROSTATE CANCER CASES BY CAREER FIELD

  • Missileer | 89/151 58.9% 58.9%
  • Maintenance | 35/151 23.2% 23.2%
  • Missileer & Maintenance (served in both) | 8/151 5.3% 5.3%
  • Security Forces | 10/151 6.6% 6.6%
  • Military Family Member | 1/151 .7% .7%
  • Other or Unknown | 8/151 5.3% 5.3%

DATA POINT THREE: PROSTATE CANCER CASES AT MALMSTROM BY CAREER FIELD 

  • Missileer | 28/42 67% 67%
  • Maintenance | 9/42 21% 21%
  • Missileer & Maintenance (served in both) | 1/42 2% 2%
  • Security Forces | 2/42 5% 5%
  • Military Family Member | 1/42 2% 2%
  • Other or Unknown | 1/42 2% 2%

DATA POINT FOUR: PROSTATE CANCER CASES – MEDIAN DIAGNOSIS

  • The median age of diagnosis for prostate cancer according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is 67 
  • The median age of diagnosis of the 151 individuals who registered with prostate cancer is 61
  • The median age of diagnosis of the 42 individuals who registered with prostate cancer who served at Malmstrom is 60