torchlight

REGISTRY SUMMARY (07 DEC 2024)

  • 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 734 self-registered cases.

DATA POINT ONE: CAREER FIELD

  • MISSILEER | 430/734 58.6% 58.6%
  • Maintenance | 160/734 21.8% 21.8%
  • Security Forces | 58/734 7.9% 7.9%
  • Missileer & Maintenance (Served in both) | 29/734 4% 4%
  • Military Family Member |14/734 1.9% 1.9%
  • Other or Unknown due to insufficient information | 43/734 5.9% 5.9%

DATA POINT TWO: DIAGNOSIS TYPE

  • Cancer | 564/734 76.8% 76.8%
  • Pre-cancerous and other than cancer | 170/734 23.2% 23.2%

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 | 166 cases 29.4% 29.4%
  • Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) | 74 cases 13.1% 13.1%
  • Melanoma of the Skin | 44 cases 7.8% 7.8%
  • Colon & Rectum | 32 cases 5.6% 5.6%
  • Leukemia | 31 cases 5.4% 5.4%
  • Bladder | 27 cases 4.7% 4.7%
  • Thyroid | 27 cases 4.7% 4.7%
  • Kidney & Renal Pelvis | 23 cases 4% 4%
  • Brain & Other Nervous System | 22 cases 3.9% 3.9%
  • Breast | 18 cases 3.1% 3.1%

Multiple Cancers: 71 (12.6%) of the 564 individuals who reported having cancer indicated they had multiple types of cancer (one individual reported having 6 different types of cancer, and several individuals reported having 4 or 5 different types of cancer).

Additional Non-Cancerous Diagnoses: 53 (9.4%) of the 564 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 | 292/734 39.7% 39.7%
  • FE Warren AFB | Atlas/Minuteman/Peacekeeper | 147/734 20% 20%
  • Minot AFB | Minuteman | 131/734 17.8% 17.8%
  • Grand Forks AFB | Minuteman | 83/734 11.3% 11.3%
  • Whiteman AFB | Minuteman | 66/734 8.9% 8.9%
  • Ellsworth AFB | Titan/Minuteman | 57/734 7.7% 7.7%
  • Vandenberg AFB | Atlas/Titan/Minuteman/Peacekeeper | 55/734 7.4% 7.4%
  • McConnell AFB | Titan | 37/734 5% 5%
  • Little Rock AFB | Titan | 26/734 3.5% 3.5%
  • Davis-Monthan AFB | Titan | 24/734 3.2% 3.2%
  • OTHER LOCATIONS *SEE NOTE | 23/734 3.1% 3.1%

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: 74 (13.1%) of the 564 cancer cases are registered as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

DATA POINT ONE: BREAKOUT BY BASE (NHL CASES)

  • Malmstrom AFB | 27/74 36.4% 36.4%
  • Whiteman AFB | 12/74 16.2% 16.2%
  • Minot AFB | 10/74 13.5% 13.5%
  • Ellsworth AFB | 7/74 9.4% 9.4%
  • FE Warren AFB | 7/74 9.4% 9.4%
  • Grand Forks AFB | 7/74 9.4% 9.4%
  • Vandenberg AFB | 6/74 8.1% 8.1%
  • Davis-Monthan AFB | 5/74 6.7% 6.7%
  • McConnell AFB | 5/74 6.7% 6.7%
  • Little Rock AFB | 4/74 5.4% 5.4%
  • Lincoln AFB | 1/74 1.3% 1.3%
  • Chanute AFB | 1/74 1.3% 1.3%

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

DATA POINT TWO: NHL CASES BY CAREER FIELD

  • Missileer | 44/74 59.5% 59.5%
  • Maintenance | 18/74 24.3% 24.3%
  • Security Forces | 4/74 5.4% 5.4%
  • Military Family Member | 1/74 1.4% 1.4%
  • Other or Unknown | 6/74 8.1% 8.1%

DATA POINT THREE: NHL AT MALMSTROM – SERVICE YEARS

  • SERVICE YEARS 1972-1996 |17/27 62.9% 62.9%
  • SERVICE YEARS 1997-2007 | 14/27 51.8% 51.8%

DATA POINT FOUR: NHL CANCER CASES – MEDIAN DIAGNOSIS

  • The median age of diagnosis for NHL, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is 68 (on the website, scroll down to “New Cases and Deaths” and click on “+” sign, then scroll down for median age detail).
  • The median age of diagnosis of the 74 individuals who registered with NHL is 58.
  • The median age of diagnosis of the 13 missileers from MAFB whose service years overlap either 1997-2007 and/or 2004-2007 and who registered with NHL is 42.

Prostate Cancer data subset: There are 166 total prostate cancer cases from all bases (29.4% of the 564 cancer cases).

DATA POINT ONE: LOCATION OF SERVICE

  • Malmstrom AFB | 46/166 27.7% 27.7%
  • Grand Forks AFB | 31/166 18.6% 18.6%
  • FE Warren AFB | 28/166 16.9% 16.9%
  • Minot AFB | 25/166 15% 15%
  • Whiteman AFB | 19/166 11.4% 11.4%
  • Ellsworth AFB | 18/166 10.8% 10.8%
  • Vandenberg AFB | 14/166 8.4% 8.4%
  • McConnell AFB | 11/166 6.6% 6.6%
  • Little Rock AFB | 10/166 6% 6%
  • Davis-Monthan AFB | 9/166 5.4% 5.4%
  • Chanute AFB | 3/166 1.8% 1.8%
  • Hill AFB | 1/166 .6% .6%
  • Patrick AFB | 1/166 .6% .6%
  • Walker AFB | 1/166 .6% .6%

(Note: Some individuals served at multiple bases which results in a total greater than 166.)

DATA POINT TWO: PROSTATE CANCER CASES BY CAREER FIELD

  • Missileer | 96/166 57.8% 57.8%
  • Maintenance | 41/166 24.7% 24.7%
  • Missileer & Maintenance (served in both) | 8/166 4.8% 4.8%
  • Security Forces | 11/166 6.6% 6.6%
  • Military Family Member | 1/166 .1% .1%
  • Other or Unknown | 9/166 5.4% 5.4%

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

  • Missileer | 30/46 65.2% 65.2%
  • Maintenance | 11/46 23.9% 23.9%
  • Missileer & Maintenance (served in both) | 1/46 2.1% 2.1%
  • Security Forces | 2/46 4.3% 4.3%
  • Military Family Member | 1/46 2.1% 2.1%
  • Other or Unknown | 1/46 2.1% 2.1%

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 (on the website, scroll down to “New Cases and Deaths” and click on the “+” sign, then scroll down for median age detail).
  • The median age of diagnosis of the 166 individuals who registered with prostate cancer is 61.
  • The median age of diagnosis of the 46 individuals who registered with prostate cancer who served at Malmstrom is 60.