A chilling mystery is affecting two communities in two different states. Over the course of roughly 20 years, cases of an extremely rare eye cancer have been cropping up in Auburn, Alabama, as well as Huntersville, North Carolina, CBS News reported Monday.
Normally, ocular melanoma only affects six in every 1 million people. "Most people don't know anyone with this disease," explained Dr. Marlana Orloff, the doctor treating Ashley McCrary, one of the patients from Alabama. But by the time McCrary was diagnosed, she already knew of two other cases — fellow alumnae of Auburn University.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Because ocular melanoma is so rare, much is yet to be studied about it; as it stands now, there is no cure. But Orloff and her colleagues are hoping to discover new information that might explain why the cases are so concentrated in these communities — and help prevent any further spread of the dangerous disease.
Read more about these strange cases at CBS News.
-
Political cartoons for October 27Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include improving national monuments, the NBA gambling scandal, and the AI energy vampire
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
