The concerns about cancer rates and possible causes of the disease was again a topic of discussion at the regular meeting of Clinton County Fiscal Court last Thursday.

Jasie Logsdon, MPH, MA with the Lake Cumberland District Health Department, as well as local physician Dr. William C. Powell, discussed statistics and possible causes of high cancer rates in the county and state. Studies and statistics have been compiled over the past couple of months, thanks in part to Dr. Powell’s concerns and request of the county to get more information on the local cancer rates.

Although the overall cancer death rate and incidence rates in Clinton County wasn’t alarmingly higher than the Lake Cumberland area, or state averages, and in fact lower in incidence rates, the statistics presented the court by Logsdon reflected a nine-year period that ended three year ago.

During a period from 2000 through 2008, the cancer death rate in the county (all rates per 100,000 population) was 221.18, only slightly higher than the district average of 219.62 and state rate of 217.63. Also, the incidence rate, or number of reports of people having cancer, was lower than the district and state averages.

The statistics, however, that caused county officials and local health professionals most concern was the last three years of that study, from 2006 through 2008, in which two out of those three years, both incidence and death rates from cancer in Clinton County were higher than the district and state averages.

In 2006, the local death rate was 254.61, compared to the district rate of 215.89 and state rate of 210.43. The same year, the incidence rate for cancer was 642.72 in Clinton County, much higher than the 570.13 district and 559.72 date averages.

The last year that statistics were available, in 2008, the incidence rate in the county was lower than both the state and district rates, but the death rates for cancer patients was again much higher, at 317.53 compared to the state at 204.55 and the Lake Cumberland Districts 211.94 rate.

The stats Logsdon presented also broke down cancer rates by type, including lung and bronchus, breast cancer and male genital system incidence and death rates. Again in each category, the rates over the past three-year period of the studies showed the local rates somewhat higher.

Logsdon told the court it was valuable to look at data that is available and inferred people weren’t doing a good job of being diagnosed early. She encouraged citizens to be screened and have, when recommended by doctors, annual exams, as well as doing things to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Magistrate Charlotte Bernard also compared the last three years of the data available (2006-08) and the higher death and incidence rates in Clinton County compared to state and district averages. She said that if the last three years, in which there is still no data, continued that trend, the rates locally could be alarming.

Dr. Powell noted that the high rates of cancer were just local and when questioned about his thoughts on why local rates were so high, he gave different indicators.

Powell agreed with Logsdon that people didn’t get screened for cancer early enough and said that a lot of people, especially men, were hesitant to get checkups for such things as colon cancer and noted the incidence and death rates from that type of cancer was too high.

He also added that people should stop smoking and blamed second hand smoke as a problem, as well as people needing a healthy diet and routine screenings. He said he was anxious to see the statistics for Clinton County for the past three year period (2009-11), adding he would also like to see a breakdown in rates among gender and age.

Further, one of the highest rates of cancer locally is that of breast cancer, something Dr. Powell has seen a lot of over the past few years.

He also said that although nothing is proven, he always wondered whether or not chemicals or things in the water we drink may not have an effect on the development of cancer in Clinton County and the region.

Logsdon told the court that she would present more updated statistics over the past three-year period when those are compiled and become available.