Burn Pit Exposure in Veterans: A Cancer Screening Pilot Study at the Inova Saville Cancer Screening & Prevention Center

Inova Health Care Services

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Cancer

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Nasal Swab; Device: Avantect Multi-Cancer Detection Test

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07485322

INOVA-2025-302

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility and participant satisfaction associated with a more intensive cancer screening regimen in veterans exposed to burn pits. The study results may describe the clinical and psychosocial impact such screening has on this potential population. The study hopes to share the premalignant and malignant findings identified and follow-up healthcare utilization associated with high-intensity cancer screening during the approximately 3-year study period (three annual screening assessments and an additional year of follow-up to determine participants' cancer status). The study will also explore the performance of new tools (nasal brush, multi-cancer detection blood test, and radiomic analysis) in detecting the development of cancer during the study period.

Full description

Participants are assigned by the study protocol to intensive cancer screening at baseline, 12-, and 24-month visits, with follow-up at 36 months. All procedures, including investigational tools like the MCD blood test and nasal swabs, are required by the study and are not routine clinical care. The study objectives include: feasibility, participant satisfaction, detection of cancer, follow-up care, and testing of investigational tools. This is an interventional study.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 35 to 85 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• ≥ 35 years
• Veteran of the United States Armed Forces (retired/no longer enlisted) with a prior deployment resulting in exposure (based on self-report or official records, if available) to burn pits for >1 week (exposure defined as on the base or close enough to the base to see the smoke from the burn pit, an area of land used for the open-air combustion of trash and other solid waste products).
• Ability to understand and willing to sign informed consent
• Ability to understand and willing to sign HIPAA Authorization

Exclusion criteria

• No history of malignancy within the past 5 years (non-melanoma skin cancer and in situ carcinoma would still be eligible) and not currently being worked up clinically for suspicion of cancer.
• For women of childbearing potential, not pregnant.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 1 patient group

Veterans exposed to burn pits

Experimental group

Description:

Veteran of the United States Armed Forces (retired/no longer enlisted) with a prior deployment resulting in exposure (based on self-report or official records, if available) to burn pits for \>1 week (exposure defined as on the base or close enough to the base to see the smoke from the burn pit, an area of land used for the open-air combustion of trash and other solid waste products).

Treatment:

Device: Avantect Multi-Cancer Detection Test

Diagnostic Test: Nasal Swab