Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7(3), 1139-1152; doi:10.3390/ijerph7031139
Communication

A Multidisciplinary Investigation of a Polycythemia Vera Cancer Cluster of Unknown Origin

Vincent Seaman 1,* email, Steve M. Dearwent 1 email, Debra Gable 1 email, Brian Lewis 1 email, Susan Metcalf 1 email, Ken Orloff 1 email, Bruce Tierney 1 email, Jane Zhu 1 email, James Logue 2 email, David Marchetto 2 email, Stephen Ostroff 2 email, Ronald Hoffman 3 email, Mingjiang Xu 3 email, David Carey 4 email, Porat Erlich 4 email, Glenn Gerhard 4 email, Paul Roda 4 email, Joseph Iannuzzo 5 email, Robert Lewis 5 email, John Mellow 5 email, Linda Mulvihill 6 email, Zachary Myles 6 email, Manxia Wu 6 email, Arthur Frank 7 email, Carol Ann Gross-Davis 7 email, Judith Klotz 7 email, Adam Lynch 7 , Joel Weissfeld 8 email, Rona Weinberg 9 email and Henry Cole 10 email
1 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA 2 Pennsylvania Department of Health, 7th & Forster Streets, Harrisburg, PA 17120, USA 3 Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA 4 Geisinger Health System/Clinic, 100 N. Academy Ave, Danville, PA 17822, USA 5 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711, USA 6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Program of Cancer Registries, 1600 Clifton, Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA 7 Drexel University School of Public Health, 1505 Race Street, Bellet Building 13th Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA 8 UPMC Cancer Pavilion, 3rd Floor, 5150 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA 9 New York Blood Center, 310 East 67th Street, 2-47B, New York, NY 10065, USA 10 Henry S. Cole & Associates, 7611 S. Osborne Rd, Ste 201, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 29 January 2010; in revised form: 13 March 2010 / Accepted: 16 March 2010 / Published: 17 March 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Epidemiology)
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Abstract: Cancer cluster investigations rarely receive significant public health resource allocations due to numerous inherent challenges and the limited success of past efforts. In 2008, a cluster of polycythemia vera, a rare blood cancer with unknown etiology, was identified in northeast Pennsylvania. A multidisciplinary group of federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and local healthcare providers subsequently developed a multifaceted research portfolio designed to better understand the cause of the cluster. This research agenda represents a unique and important opportunity to demonstrate that cancer cluster investigations can produce desirable public health and scientific outcomes when necessary resources are available.
Keywords: polycythemia vera; cancer cluster; environmental exposure; Pennsylvania

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Seaman, V.; Dearwent, S.M.; Gable, D.; Lewis, B.; Metcalf, S.; Orloff, K.; Tierney, B.; Zhu, J.; Logue, J.; Marchetto, D.; Ostroff, S.; Hoffman, R.; Xu, M.; Carey, D.; Erlich, P.; Gerhard, G.; Roda, P.; Iannuzzo, J.; Lewis, R.; Mellow, J.; Mulvihill, L.; Myles, Z.; Wu, M.; Frank, A.; Gross-Davis, C.A.; Klotz, J.; Lynch, A.; Weissfeld, J.; Weinberg, R.; Cole, H. A Multidisciplinary Investigation of a Polycythemia Vera Cancer Cluster of Unknown Origin. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7, 1139-1152.

AMA Style

Seaman V, Dearwent SM, Gable D, Lewis B, Metcalf S, Orloff K, Tierney B, Zhu J, Logue J, Marchetto D, Ostroff S, Hoffman R, Xu M, Carey D, Erlich P, Gerhard G, Roda P, Iannuzzo J, Lewis R, Mellow J, Mulvihill L, Myles Z, Wu M, Frank A, Gross-Davis CA, Klotz J, Lynch A, Weissfeld J, Weinberg R, Cole H. A Multidisciplinary Investigation of a Polycythemia Vera Cancer Cluster of Unknown Origin. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2010; 7(3):1139-1152.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Seaman, Vincent; Dearwent, Steve M.; Gable, Debra; Lewis, Brian; Metcalf, Susan; Orloff, Ken; Tierney, Bruce; Zhu, Jane; Logue, James; Marchetto, David; Ostroff, Stephen; Hoffman, Ronald; Xu, Mingjiang; Carey, David; Erlich, Porat; Gerhard, Glenn; Roda, Paul; Iannuzzo, Joseph; Lewis, Robert; Mellow, John; Mulvihill, Linda; Myles, Zachary; Wu, Manxia; Frank, Arthur; Gross-Davis, Carol Ann; Klotz, Judith; Lynch, Adam; Weissfeld, Joel; Weinberg, Rona; Cole, Henry. 2010. "A Multidisciplinary Investigation of a Polycythemia Vera Cancer Cluster of Unknown Origin." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 7, no. 3: 1139-1152.

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