Cancer risk higher in Appalachia

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A new study supports earlier findings that residents of Appalachia face a higher risk of cancer than the rest of the United States.

"We've found that the occurrence, or the incidence, of new cancer of the lung, colon, rectum and cervix were significantly increased in residents of the large portion of Appalachia in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia," said Eugene Lengerich, principal investigator of the study and a member of the Penn State Cancer Institute.

An earlier study by Appalachia Cancer Network where Lengerich is research director found cancer death rates for residents of Appalachia were higher than national rates.

Lengerich's analysis showed the incidence of cancer of the lung was 22 percent higher in the Appalachian study than national rates, and 34 percent higher among rural residents of the region.

Lengerich said investigators believe the higher rates were "due to certain unhealthy lifestyles, like tobacco use, and a lack of health care access."