CANCER RISK AND RESIDENTIAL PROXIMITY TO CRANBERRY CULTIVATION IN MASSACHUSETTS

Objectives. This study evaluated the relationship between dancer risk and residential proximity to cranberry cultivation. Methods. A populat ion-based case-control Study was conducted. Cases, diagnosed during 19 83 through 1986 among residents of the Upper Cape Cod area of Massachu setts, involved incident cancers of the lung (n = 252), breast (n = 26 5), colon-rectum (n = 326), bladder (n = 63), kidney (n = 35), pancrea s (n = 37), and brain (n = 37), along with leukemia (n = 35). Control subjects were randomly selected from among telephone Subscribers (n = 184), Medicare beneficiaries (n = 464), and deceased individuals (n = 723). Results. No meaningful increases in risk were seen for any of th e cancer sites except for the brain. When latency was considered, subj ects who had ever lived within 2600 ft (780 m) of a cranberry bog had a twofold increased risk of brain cancer overall (95% confidence inter val [CI] = 0.8, 4.9) and a 6.7-fold increased risk of astrocytoma (95% CI = 1.6, 27.8). Conclusions. Residential proximity to cranberry bog cultivation was not associated with seven of the eight cancers investi gated; however, an association was observed with brain cancer, particu larly astrocytoma. Larger, more detailed studies are necessary to eluc idate this relationship.