Epidemiology Task 5

Epidemiology Task 5

Part I Questions

1. Is Dr. Holmes’ concern justified? Why or why not?

Yes. The Doctor’s concern is justified. Indeed, he diagnoses three cases of cancer in a span of three years, which was not a usual case. Such cases showed a possible trend of the ailment.

2. 2. What would be your next step if you were Dr. Holmes?

Being in the shoes of Dr. Holmes, my next step would be to determine whether there exists a relationship between the prospected contaminated park following the careless waste disposal and my concern of possible trend involving brain tumors recently diagnosed. I would then take soil samples from the contaminated park and find out whether the victims had been exposed to it before. I would then determine whether there exists a link between the two variables, that is, the contaminated area and the current medical concerns..

Part II Questions

1. Describe in your own words what a cancer cluster is.

A cancer cluster refers to a relatively large number of unexpected cancer cases in the same locality.

2. What is the evidence that is driving Dr. Holmes to believe this is a cancer cluster?

Doctor Holmes has diagnosed three of his patients with cancer in a period of three years. The Doctor also checks on the previous hospital records and finds that 18 cases had been diagnosed in the last 15 years. Most of the diagnosed cases were reported in a small six-block area, thus making him conclude that it was a cancer cluster.

3. What are the factors that Dr. Garcia is looking at that make her skeptical of Carson being a cancer cluster?

Garcia is checking on the spike to check whether it has a statistical significance. Also, Dr. Garcia is taking into account relevant variables such as expected childhood cancers and make a comparison with the number of recently presented cases.

4. Taking into consideration the data from a successful cluster investigation of Toms River (Table 2), list the additional data and statistics, Dr. Holmes will need to strengthen his case about Carson.

The Doctor should provide data that depicts a relatively higher SIR when compared to the normal or expected SIR of Carson.

Part III Questions

1. With this background information about cluster investigations, outline two pros and two cons to pursuing an investigation in this case.

Pros

Firstly, the investigation will help determine whether there exists a relationship between the contaminated park and the emergence of the cancerous cases. Secondly, the investigation will help determine whether the recent cases amount to a cancer cluster.

Cons

Pursuing the investigation is time-consuming. The investigation is also very costly to execute.

2. In reviewing the pros and cons from the previous question, decide as a group what you would do if you were in Dr. Holmes’ shoes

Being in the Doctor’s shoes, I would engage in the investigation to find out the cause of the high cases of childhood cancer in Carson. The investigation would help fill the knowledge gap in the community.