Cancer specialist to speak on mystery Massey cases

By CLAIRE TREVETT

A meeting has been called for people worried about an unexplained grouping of cancer cases among Massey teenagers. Sharon Duncan, the mother of film-maker Cameron Duncan, who died of osteosarcoma last year, raised concern about cancer in Massey adolescents after discovering similarities between Cameron's case and his friends who also had cancer.

Cameron and two friends - all born in St Helens Hospital and who went to the same school - were diagnosed with cancer within three months of each other. Charles Hetaraka also died last year and Jeffrey Thumath is still fighting the disease.

Waitakere District Councillor Gary Russell spoke to Mayor Bob Harvey about the cases, and they agreed to ask a specialist to speak to the community and explain what was happening and whether it might be significant.

Dr Scott Macfarlane, a Starship cancer specialist, said another patient had contacted him to say she was born in St Helens in 1985, about the same time as Cameron, Charles and Jeffrey, and had lived in the area.

"There is enough here that it can't be dismissed," said Dr Macfarlane. "It's not fair on the people who have had deaths or malignancies in their families just to say that without more, it is just chance. They deserve to have it investigated in the proper fashion."

He said science had so far shown environmental factors usually contributed to adult cancers, but were not usually involved in cancer in children. Usually only cancers of the same type were considered a cluster, whereas these patients all had different forms.

Councillor Russell said the council was checking its records on Massey to see if there was a possible historical environmental problem.

The meeting is at Massey High School, October 21, 7pm.