Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Investigating causation in cancer clusters

¹Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics

|August 1, 1996

Summary

Investigating cancer clusters requires acknowledging that groupings can occur by chance. Methodological challenges, including long latent periods and limited cases, constrain finding specific causes.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Differentiation of pernicious anemia and certain other macrocytic anemias by the distribution of red blood cell diameters.

Blood·2010

Same author

Iron Deficiency Anemia.

Resenha clinico-cientifica·2010

Same author

An interview method for obtaining personal histories.

The New England journal of medicine·2010

Same author

Residential radon exposure and lung cancer risk: commentary on Cohen's county-based study.

Health physics·2004

Same author

Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer--collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58,515 women with breast cancer and 95,067 women without the disease.

British journal of cancer·2002

Same author

Passive smoking exposure and female breast cancer mortality.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute·2000

Area of Science:

Public health
Epidemiology
Cancer research

Background:

Cancer cluster investigations are common in public health.
Understanding potential biases and limitations is crucial for accurate assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the inherent challenges in investigating cancer clusters.
To emphasize the need for careful consideration of methodological limitations before intensive study.

Main Methods:

Review of common challenges in cancer cluster investigations.
Discussion of factors influencing study design and interpretation.

Main Results:

Cancer case groupings can arise by chance.
Methodological difficulties include variable latent periods, limited case numbers, and clinical non-specificity of cancer.

Conclusions:

Preliminary assessment of cases and setting is vital.
Awareness of limitations is essential for effective cancer cluster evaluation.

Related Experiment Videos