NPR considers environmental causes of myeloma.
The number of people diagnosed with multiple myeloma is on the rise. In an NPR story, environmental factors were given as a possible explanation.
Richard Knox on National Public Radio’s program Morning Edition (1/29/09) had a superb story on the strides made in the last decade in the treatment of a disease called multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow, affecting primarily older adults. Several new treatments in recent years have greatly improved survival.
That was the good news.
The bad news is that despite the strides made in treatment, the number of individuals who are developing multiple myeloma is on the rise. Indeed, the number of diagnosed cases of multiple myeloma has nearly doubled in recent years, according to one of the doctors quoted in the story.
Another of the doctors interviewed for the story attributed the rise to an increase in the age of the population. However, in a superb job of reporting, Mr. Knox also quoted another doctor who suggested that there may be compounds in the environment that increase the risk for developing this disease.
It was pointed out, that in particular, dioxins have been linked to multiple myeloma, citing studies about Vietnam veterans who are thought to have acquired the disease because of their work with dioxin contaminated Agent Orange during that war.
It was also pointed out that information about civilians is less clear. But, some peer reviewed studies are finding associations between herbicide exposure and an increased risk for myeloma.
Nevertheless, scientists and doctors currently do not know why more people are being diagnosed with this particular blood cancer (other blood cancers show similarly alarming trends). The rise may be due to an aging population or to environmental contaminants or to, perhaps, both.
A main reason this story is noteworthy is because it raised the possibility of environmental factors playing a role in the origins of the disease at all. Many reporters miss the opportunity to bring the idea forward as an alternate or combined explanation.
Only by asking if the environment may be contributing to increases in disease rates can we as a society move ahead to develop the scientific knowledge necessary to find out, and ultimately, to act on the answers.
