title: Addressing a community's cancer cluster concerns.
abstract: The felling of a telecommunications mast highlighted a community's concern regarding an alleged cancer cluster of eleven cases in a small rural area of Northern Ireland. At the request of the Local District Council, the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) undertook an investigation. After extensive searching and contact with the community, only 6 of the alleged cases could be identified. Of these six, two did not have cancer and one had a non-malignant tumour. In addition to the three confirmed cancer cases, a search of the NICR database identified a further 17 cancers of mixed types in keeping with the population pattern of cancers. Standardised incidence and mortality rates were within, or lower than, the expected level. The results were presented to the local community at an open meeting. Despite extensive media interest when the issue of the alleged cluster was first raised, the negative findings received only local media attention. This study illustrates the value of an accurate population cancer registry in addressing cancer cluster concerns.
authors.affiliation: AT Gavin, Director, D Catney, Biostatistician, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Centre for Clinical and Population Sciences, Queens University Belfast, Mulhouse Building, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BJ. a.gavin@qub.ac.uk
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Gavin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Catney
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019992:Databases as Topic; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009660:Northern Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000295:instrumentation*