GEORGETOWN – The town’s Health Director has asked the state Department of Public Health to investigate whether the higher-than-normal number of cases here could be a cancer cluster.
Health Director William Holt delivered a report to the SelectBoard last week that said he does not have the staff or resources to determine if the number of cancer cases in Georgetown constitutes a cluster or just that the town has residents who get more health checkups.
“It is not surprising that Georgetown is reporting a higher number of cancer cases,” Holt’s report told the SelectBoard.
Speculation is that a better educated, more affluent population will get more health checkups. Unclear is whether other Massachusetts cities and towns are seeing the same trend.
The types of cancer being reported in Georgetown, Holt wrote, are cancers that occur more commonly. It would be more of a concern if there were larger number of cases of male breast cancers, in older people or in children, he said.
Holt urged patience in getting a definitive answer from the state health department because it has a large backlog of cases it is already investigating.
“It will take time to determine if this is a cluster,” Holt’s report stated.
SelectBoard chair Doug Dawes lamented that the answers from the state could not come faster. SelectBoard member Mike Donahue asked that Holt brief the board every few weeks until an answer is received.
In the interim, Holt asked the residents to continue reporting new incidences of cancer to the town’s Health Department. The Health Department can be reached at 978-352-5720, at wholt@georgetownma.gov or in person from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday. ♦
