Analyses reveal higher-than-expected pediatric cancer rates in Florida

Policy responses by local and state health officials may involve more detailed follow-up, including additional data collection, exposure surveys, or in-depth investigation of case histories within a reported cluster.

Dr Waller added that estimated cancer rates consist of the local number of cases (reported by the FAPTP) and the local number of children at risk (reported by the decennial census). Higher-than-expected rates can result from unusually high numbers of reported cases or low numbers of reported local residents.

Since Miami, like many urban areas, often experiences rapid changes in population size and composition between decennial censuses, it is important to assess the accuracy of both data components. Dr Waller suggested, as a first step, assessing the accuracy of the case counts and the inter-census population projections defining the local rates.

“State and local health departments and public health agencies regularly respond to cluster reports from the public,” he said. “Typically, a responsive and effective response is not based on a detailed new epidemiologic study but, rather, is based on education, assessments of local concentrations of demographic risk factors associated with the reported cluster, and an assessment of the distribution of numbers of cases expected given the local demographics.”