Assessment of the Occurrence of Cancer Houston, Texas 2000-2016 lung and bronchus, esophagus, and larynx cancers were statistically significantly greater than expected.
Assessment of the Occurrence of Cancer Houston, Texas 2000-2016
August 13, 2019
Prepared by the Texas Department of State Health Services
Executive Summary
At the request of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Environmental Surveillance and Toxicology Branch (ESTB) and Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) have examined the occurrence of cancer in the city of Houston, Texas consisting of ten census tracts. DSHS followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) 2013 guidelines and agency protocol to investigate the occurrence of six types of adult (ages 20 years or older) cancers in a geographic area selected by TCEQ staff. In accordance with these guidelines, the purpose of this assessment was to determine whether the observed number of cancer cases is statistically significantly greater than expected. It was not intended to determine the cause of the observed cancers or identify possible associations with any risk factors. DSHS staff analyzed TCR data available for a 17-year period spanning from 2000 through 2016. United States Census data was used to estimate the population in the selected geographic area, which consisted of ten census tracts in Houston, Texas. To evaluate the occurrence of cancer in the area investigated, the number of observed cancer cases was compared to what would be expected for the area based on cancer rates in Texas. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated as the number of observed cases divided by the number of expected cases in the area of concern for the 17-year period (2000-2016). A 95 percent confidence interval (CI) was calculated for each SIR to determine statistical significance. Based on cancer rates in Texas, lung and bronchus, esophagus, and larynx cancers were statistically significantly greater than expected. The observed numbers of adult acute myeloid leukemia, urinary bladder, and nose and nasal cavity cancers were within the range of what is expected.
man, we are of our own demise...tss
