North Louisiana experience with bone and soft tissue malignancies

Several major industries in rural North Louisiana are agriculture and forestry, with its associated paper mill factories. These industries utilize significant herbicides, such as dioxins. A Swedish study found a higher incidence of soft tissue sarcomas in patient populations exposed to these herbicides. The purpose of this retrospective study is to demonstrate a higher incidence of sarcomas in the rural areas of North Louisiana. Between 1988 and 1994, twelve patients with osteosarcoma were evaluated and treated. The twelve patients were from rural areas. Fourteen patients with soft tissue sarcoma were evaluated and treated between 1988 and 1994. Six patients were from the metropolitan area of Shreveport/Bossier City, and eight from the rural areas. For the osteosarcoma group, a two-fold increase in patients occurred in the rural areas. In the soft tissue sarcoma group, the overall incidence was lower for both areas, but more were seen from the rural area. This suggests that those patients from the rural areas of North Louisiana may have a higher risk of developing a sarcoma, and this trend may be related to herbicide exposure.