inova's endocrine tumor program in action

Ben Coffman is a local firefighter who came to Inova through the Thyroid Nodule Clinic at the Saville Center where he was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer associated with with bilateral lateral neck metastases.

Inova physicians from the Ultrasound, Interventional Radiology, and Pathology teams were all part of his diagnostic evaluation and surgery, and he will be undergoing radioactive iodine therapy and long-term surveillance - all with a very high probability of being cured.

Ben has become a support person for other people with thyroid cancer and has taken to social media via his local fire department to share his story.

Ben is pictured below with members of his team who came to stand by him on the day of his surgery.

Firefighting was designated as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2022. This reinforces Inova’s need to help this high-risk population and veterans with comprehensive cancer screening and prevention services. Inova now has a designated email address for firefighters and first responders to use to help navigate those who find themselves with a suspicious finding or new diagnosis.