When several people you know are diagnosed with cancer you may think it is more than chance. Researchers use the term “cancer cluster” when more people than expected have cancer. Researchers look at the number of patients in a certain area or during a period of time. It is important for a suspected cluster to be looked into to make sure there is not a common cause.
Some cancers can be caused by environmental factors. Such factors can be certain chemicals or gases like radon. Cancer can not spread from person to person as a cold is. One in three cancers is caused by lifestyle choices we make each day. Lifestyle choices include smoking, exercise and diet. Because families and friends tend to act in similar ways, we may see groups of people with cancer where no environmental cause exists.
Cancer can take several years to develop. In that time people may have moved to or left your community. This may add or take away cases in the suspected cluster and make it hard to figure out if they have the same cause.
More than 85 percent of clusters reported to public health officials each year are proven to not be clusters. Many of the reported clusters include more than one type of cancer and not just ones that can be related to each other. When we think about cancer, we tend to lump all types together. However it is important to know there are more than 100 types of cancer. Different cancers can be very different diseases with different causes.
To report a possible cancer cluster in Iowa, contact the Iowa Department of Public Health at 515-281-5604.
For more information about cancer risk or any cancer concern, contact:
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center/Cancer Information Service
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