Morphological and molecular analysis of a breast cancer cluster at the ABC Studio in Toowong

Abstract

Cancer clusters involving small numbers of patients are relatively common, but only a few have been investigated. In the case of breast cancer, for some putative clusters no significant increase in the risk of developing cancer has been found,1 and in only a minority of cancer clusters which are found to be statistically significant is a causative agent found. Two such studies have shown an increased risk in breast cancer in office workers exposed to strong magnetic fields.2,3 How-ever, for many cancer clusters, although a common aetiology was not proven, it could not be discounted, highlighting the difficulty in definitively associating a causal agent to a cancer cluster.4,5