The Acreage Cancer Study

Below is a transcript of questions ask by State Rep. Carl Domino to Dr. Wakins of the Florida Department of Health:

CD: How far back in time (what year) will the Department of Health initiate their investigation?

SW: We are currently looking at data from 1995 on, so 13 years of data. We are not aware of a contamination issue at this site so do not have any specific dates related to potential exposure that would be used to determine a time period for analysis. We have the ability to review additional historical years if the data suggest that there may be excesses in this area.

CD: How can they be sure that all of the forms submitted will be reviewed and included in the study?

SW: All forms received by our office are checked against the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) to validate cancer diagnosis, year of diagnosis,etc. If the address at the time of diagnosis is in the area of concern (the Acreage) they will be included in the study. Although we are focusing on brain cancers and other central nervous system cancers, we will also examine total cancer burden of the community.

CD: Will the investigation include benign and malignant tumors?

SW: The investigation will only include those cases represented in the FCDS which are mostly malignant cancers.

CD: Can and is the Florida Cancer Registry used as a pro-active registry tool?

SW: The registry is currently not funded to review data on a continuous basis to explore for potential clustering of cases; nor is this function part of its current mandate. A certain number of 'clusters' would be identified on the basis of statistical chance alone when such a large number of areas and types of cancer are tested. Investigation of these potential clusters to determine if they are true or more likely based on statistical chance would require significantly more staff and resources, both within FCDS and FDOH, than we currently have.

If you want to send your concerns to Dr. Wakins, she can be reached at: sharon_watkins@doh.state.fl.us