Dartmouth feasibility study finds statistically higher kidney cancer rates in Merrimack; pilot shows community willingness to participate in larger research

A Dartmouth team presenting to the Commission for the Study of the Environmental and the Public Health Effects of Per- and Polyfluorinated Chemicals reported that kidney cancer incidence in Merrimack, New Hampshire, remains higher than expected and that preliminary pilot work shows residents are willing to participate in expanded research.

The phase 3 feasibility study, completed in cooperation with New Hampshire DHHS and using New Hampshire State Cancer Registry data from 1995–2021, aimed to determine whether a larger study could test links between environmental exposures and the observed excess kidney cancers. “The purpose of the study was to gather information to see if it's likely that a future larger study will show whether or not the cancer cases relate to a common cause,” said Dr. Megan Romano, who presented Dartmouth’s findings to the commission.

Dartmouth described four study components: community engagement, cancer-registry analysis, a research-feasibility survey, and a pilot study. Community engagement included four “engagement studios” with 30 discussants and a community advisory board. The research-feasibility survey (fielded in November 2024 to a representative New Hampshire online panel of 1,183 adults) found broad willingness to participate in future research and to provide water and biological samples. In the pilot, the team enrolled 105 completed participants (from 140 verified eligible respondents) and collected questionnaire data and selected biosamples.

Registry analysis and statistical findings

Using standardized incidence…