cancer cluster
Localized illness grouping
A cancer cluster is an unusually high concentration of cancer cases in a particular geographic area or time period.
The term often appears in public health investigations trying to determine whether the clustering is statistically significant or coincidental, and if significant, whether environmental factors like industrial pollution or contaminated water might explain it: Residents demanded an investigation into the suspected cancer cluster near the chemical plant.
- epidemiologyStudy of disease spread
- hotspotArea of notable activity
- leukemiaMalignancy of blood-forming tissues
- incidenceRate of occurrence
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
toxic waste · toxic · neighborhood · class action · statistical · outbreak · radiation · power lines · industrial · industrial site · carcinogen · groundwater · drinking water · pollution · investigation · elevated · mortality · childhood
- health crisespandemic, epidemic, outbreak, health emergency, public health emergency