Cluster Busters: The Approach to Cancer Clusters and the Limitations of Environmental Epidemiology

CME/MOC: 1.0
TRACK: Regulatory, Legal, Military, and Governmental OEM

Coleen P. Baird, MD, MPH, FACOEM, US Army Public Health Center, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD

Cancer is common and rates vary by type, and the age/sex of the population of interest and their habits, environments, and genetics. Because of or in spite of this, it is not common for a group to perceive that a cancer (or cancers) is occurring too frequently among their ranks. Cancer-cluster evaluations are frequently requested of state or local public health departments and may be requested based on the perceptions of a concerned community or workplace. This session starts with an overview of cancers of interest to the military and potentially associated with military service. Cancer clusters will be discussed with an overview of several clusters evaluated by the US Army Public Health Center. The steps in these assessments will be discussed and some lessons learned or points to consider will be presented. The limitations and challenges of epidemiological approaches to environmental exposures and cancers will be discussed. This session was organized by the Federal and Military Occupational and Environmental Medicine Special Interest Section.