Dartmouth team confirms elevated kidney cancer signal in Merrimack, outlines pilot study and outreach plan

A Dartmouth research team told the HB 737 commission on March 14 that an updated cancer‑registry analysis confirms an elevated rate of kidney cancer in Merrimack, New Hampshire for the 2013–2018 period and described plans for a pilot study to test methods for a larger, definitive investigation.

Associate Professor Megan Romano, of Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, and Dr. Lucas (Doctor) Salas, an assistant professor of epidemiology, said the team’s revised analysis of New Hampshire State Cancer Registry data — which incorporated delayed Veterans Affairs case reports — shows a statistically significant excess of renal cell carcinoma in Merrimack for 2013–2018. The team reported an SIR of 1.65 for Merrimack in that interval, with 45 reported cases in the period examined; Dr. Salas told the commission that confidence intervals for that period excluded 1.0, indicating statistical significance.

The presenters emphasized that SIRs indicate a signal of excess cases but do not identify cause. Dr. Salas reviewed standard interpretation: an SIR greater than 1 suggests more cases were observed than expected based on the comparison population, and 95% confidence…