NEWS

Experts Discuss Concerns About Cancer Rates on Staten Island

Jane MacDonald Daye

Prompted by concerns over a recent New York State Health Department report showing elevated incidence rates of breast, lung, and colon cancers on Staten Island, N.Y., Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked National Cancer Institute Director Richard Klausner, M.D., to arrange a meeting to discuss the report’s findings.

Chaired by Susan Sieber, Ph.D., NCI’s associate director for special projects, and attended by NCI staff and a delegation of physicians and researchers from the Staten Island medical community, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the questions and concerns emerging from the latest New York Cancer Registry report and explore research opportunities to address cancer prevalence on Staten Island.

An initial comparison of the New York Cancer Registry rates with Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data for New York State from 1992 to 1996 indicate that lung cancer incidence and mortality rates were similar to national rates, and mortality rates were slightly lower. Yet, during the same period, lung cancer incidence and mortality rates on Staten Island were higher than national rates.

NCI staff will continue to provide technical support to assist researchers and the Staten Island medical community to address the cancer burden in their community and to pinpoint reasons for the elevated incidence rates on Staten Island.



             
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