The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has completed its review of cancer incidence in the Jericho Gardens area of Westbury. This study was requested due to concerns about the former Sylvania Electric Products Facility, located adjacent to this community in Hicksville.

NYSDOH, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), has arranged a public meeting to share the findings of this study with the community for Wednesday, July 14 at 7 p.m. at Hicksville Middle School. Copies of the full report will be available at the meeting.

In brief, the study examined patterns in newly diagnosed cases of cancer among residents of this community from 1980 to 1999. A total of 71 cancers were identified over this 20-year period, including 34 in males and 37 in females. Cancers of the prostate, lung and colon and rectum are the most frequently diagnosed types of cancer among males in all of New York State while cancers of the breast, lung and colon and rectum are the most frequently diagnosed types of cancer among females.

In the Jericho Gardens area, the findings were similar. The most frequently diagnosed types of cancer in males were cancers of the lung, colon and rectum, and prostate. The most frequently diagnosed types of cancers among females were cancers of the breast, lung, colon and rectum. Other types of cancer were also found, but the patterns of these were not unusual.

The ages of the people diagnosed with cancer were similar to what is usually found, with the majority of people diagnosed at age 65 or older. Additional analysis showed that the number of people diagnosed with cancer over this 20-year time period was similar to the approximate number expected based on the number of people of different ages living in the area.

This review provided no evidence of any unusual patterns of cancer among people living in the Jericho Gardens community.

For more information about the cancer study, call Aura Weinstein of the NYSDOH at 518-474-2354.