Virginia Health Department investigating potential pediatric cancer cluster in Southwest Virginia

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The following is content from an external news source, republished with permission.

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury
May 7, 2025

The Virginia Department of Health is investigating a potential pediatric cancer cluster in Southwest Virginia and is hoping to learn more from residents there.

After a group of Scott County residents contacted the Virginia Cancer Registry with concerns about the number of children with cancer in their area, VDH’s LENOWISCO Health District is seeking more information.

Cancer clusters are defined as a greater than expected number of the same or related cancer cases that occur within a group of people in the same area over a specific period of time. Cancer clusters are rare, but can be indicative of carcinogenic environmental exposures, genetic predispositions or can simply be random.

While the data collection process for VDH is confidential and designed to help the department investigate the potential cluster, the Virginia Mercury has also created this survey for people interested in sharing their personal experiences with pediatric cancer in or near Scott County, to inform our future reporting. Reach out to reporter Charlotte Rene Woods for more details: cwoods@virginiamercury.com

According to VDH, the state has no proven cancer clusters and only a few have been identified within the United States.

Area residents should fill out this survey or schedule a confidential phone interview by calling 276-386-8019. To participate in the survey, parents or guardians need to verify that the child is under 19 years old, diagnosed with any form of cancer between 2015 and 2025, and a resident of Scott County or living no more than 15 miles outside of the county prior to their diagnosis.

LENOWISCO Health District is collecting information from affected Scott County residents as a first step to investigate these concerns. Following the VDH interview process, the Virginia Cancer Registry will evaluate the collected information and determine if it is a potential cancer cluster.

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