Another cancer cluster found

Imagine living in a small town or county and you discover that your little community seems to be a magnet for a certain type of cancer. At first, it seems odd, but then someone picks up on it: a cancer cluster.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a disease cluster is what occurs when a larger group of people than is usual become ill with the same disease. It could be that they all live in the same area, work in the same place, are from the same family, or over a specific time period. When a cluster occurs, they are puzzling, but often they also give researchers a strong foundation to work with.

Cancer clusters are no different. Last month, I wrote about such a cluster in the Canadian province of British Columbia (Lung cancer cluster in northern British Columbia town). Cancer clusters also have taught researchers about previously unknown causes of cancer. For example, this is how researchers learned that exposure to asbestos can cause a specific type of cancer called mesothelioma.

News of another cancer cluster has been released. In McHenry, IL, there are more people dying with a rare type of brain tumor than there should be. While usually perhaps 7 out of every 100,000 people in the United States may get the brain cancer, in McHenry, a town of 1000 people, 14 people have brain cancer.

The area around the town does have a history of illegal dumping, much of which is considered carcinogenic, or cancer causing. According to the article on CBS, it’s not only the town too though. This is wider spread, including researchers many miles away. To read more about the cancer cluster, go to What’s Behind The Mystery Cancer Cluster?.

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Tags: cancer blog, cancer clusters, brain cancer, brain tumor, mesothelioma, carcinogenic