By Alexis Tarrazi
Senior Reporter

LYNDHURST (May 12, 2008, 3:50 p.m.) — Since starting her own cancer cluster study in Lyndhurst, Lorraine Colabella has received more responses than she could ever have imagined.

“It’s overwhelming!” Colabella said. “It’s like a full-time job. I can’t believe how many people are interested in this. … It’s like we opened up a can of worms.”

Colabella’s close friend, Annette Bortone, was surprised by the response as well.

“We were approached by so many people who have cancer,” Bortone said. “There were so many people, it was overwhelming.”

Lending a helping hand, Lyndhurst Health Administrator Joyce Jacobson has asked the state to conduct its own cancer inquiry of the township as well.

“Under the direction of Mayor (Richard) DiLascio, the Lyndhurst Health Department’s mission is ‘To protect the public health of our community by using the highest standards for disease control and prevention,’ ” Jacobson stated in a letter to The Leader. “With a former resident conducting her own cancer study, questions have been raised about the incidence of cancer in Lyndhurst and the surrounding areas.”

The letter goes on to point out that local health departments do not have access to the New Jersey State Cancer Registry and that all cancer studies are conducted on the state level.

“Therefore, the Lyndhurst Health Department has requested an inquiry by the New Jersey Cancer Surveillance Program to determine whether or not a problem exists in Lyndhurst,” Jacobson stated. “We expect to have the results of this inquiry within a month; at that time, we will share the results with the public.”

Jacobson said she and the health department decided to take action on the situation because Colabella “raised concern and we try to respond to anybody’s concerns.”

Colabella said she is thrilled with Jacobson’s efforts. “She really is doing a helpful thing by getting to the state,” Colabella said. “She has gone further than we have gotten in four years.”

The original study started a few weeks back when Colabella, a former Lyndhurst resident  who was diagnosed with incurable multiple myeloma five years ago, decided to take matters into her own hands.

As time passed, Colabella and Bortone said they noticed their fellow Lyndhurst High School classmates and other local residents were also being diagnosed with some form of cancer.

Concerned with the rising number of residents, Colabella reached out to the state to ask officials to conduct a cluster study.

However, Colabella said she was met with resistance. So she took it upon herself to conduct her own cluster study on the cancer rate in the township.

That’s when Colabella was informed of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which restricted her from obtaining any personal medical information.

To obtain information without violating HIPAA, Colabella placed a press release on the front page of the April 24 edition of The Leader and has since been receiving an enormous amount of responses ever since.

“Just on e-mails, we have been getting a lot,” Colabella said. “I can’t even keep up.”

All responses gathered will be compiled and sent to the state for a follow-up.

To send information on any type of cancer to Colabella, e-mail her at lcolabella@gmail.com or send a letter to PO Box 166 Marlton, NJ 08053.

For more information on cancer rates in Bergen County, visit New Jersey’s Cancer Registry Web page at  http://nj.gov/health/ces/njscr.shtml.

Click here to read the original story on the cancer cluster study.