The Kentucky Department of Public Health is investigating reports that a disproportionately high number of brain tumors have been diagnosed in children in eastern Kentucky.
Kentucky Health and Family Services Cabinet spokeswoman Beth Fisher told the Lantern that the state is “aware of reports of a potential increase in pediatric brain tumor cases.”
It is unclear how many cases are under investigation in the area.
Several public social media posts indicate four to five recent cases of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) within a small area of southeastern Kentucky. DIPG is a rare and incurable cancer Mainly seen in children Around 6-7 years old. Patients with DIPG may have difficulty walking, facial weakness or drooping, blurred vision, and other eye problems. Other issues. According to DIPG.org, the survival rate after two years is about 10% and the survival rate after five years is 2%.
Kentucky has a total of 44 “participants” in the International DIPG Registry, which represents both self-referrals and physician referrals. ZIP code and county breakdowns for these 44 cases were not available.
DIPG is quite rare, Typically, about 200 to 300 patients are diagnosed each year nationwide, according to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
As of May 1, 895 cases have been registered in the United States. Both state and national totals could be even higher. Registry is optional. Kentucky has either: Worst interest rate in the country Of cancer. More than 10,000 people in 2025 Kentucky citizen dies From cancer.
petition regarding Change.org Approximately 3,600 signatures have been collected in two weeks calling for a public health investigation into the eastern Kentucky incident. The petition notes that the incidence of DIPG cases in eastern Kentucky is “higher than expected” and describes these cases as a “possible cluster.” Public health officials are still investigating whether it can be characterized as such.
“There is no set number, but configuring a clusterCabinet spokesperson Fischer explained, “A cluster refers to an abnormal number of infected people who are close in time and location.”
If you have information about DIPG cases in Eastern Kentucky and would like to speak with a health reporter, please contact Sarah Ladd. (email protected).
He said the state health department is working with the Kentucky Cancer Registry to “examine geographic and temporal trends in DIPG, including comparing expected case numbers to observed case numbers over past years to determine if clusters exist.”
The Whitley County Health Department said it and the Laurel and Knox local health departments are working with the state to “evaluate cases of DIPG in our region” and gather “critical information to determine whether childhood cancer rates are unusually high in our region.”
“Review, Transparency and Accountability”
Fisher said public health officials, local health departments and the Kentucky Cancer Registry are working “to confirm the exact number of cases diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) among children in southeastern Kentucky.”
of Change.org The petition “calls for review, transparency and accountability – nothing more, nothing less.” Lantern’s efforts to contact the petition’s organizers were unsuccessful.
“We recognize that cancer clusters are complex and often difficult to interpret. We are not making assumptions about causation. However, the apparent concentration of cases warrants careful and transparent investigation by appropriate public health authorities,” the petition states.
The Department is asking state authorities to:
- To conduct a formal epidemiological evaluation of pediatric brain tumor cases in southeastern Kentucky.
- Assess whether observed cases exceed expected incidence.
- Consider potential common environmental or geographic factors, as appropriate.
- Provide clear and timely information to the public regarding investigation results.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page created on April 17 near Corbin for a family whose daughter was diagnosed with DIPG has already raised over $66,000 For medical expenses.
LEX18 reported in February A child with a different diagnosis in Laurel County was “disappointing” at the time.
“We are working to keep the public informed and will continue to work with local health departments and other partners to determine next steps,” said Fisher, the state Department of Public Health.
“There’s no room to expand.”
Dr. Bruce Waldholtz, Medical Spokesperson American Cancer Societyexplained that many cancers, such as those of the breast or lung, have room to spread before they cause significant damage because of their location in the body.
DIPG tumors, on the other hand, occur in the brainstem region. Ponwhich is an important part of the nervous system.
“Structurally, it’s a bad area“There’s no room for anything to grow,” Waldholz said.
There’s also no “practical, good treatment for this,” he said. According to DIPG.orgPatients often begin steroids and then radiation therapy, but chemotherapy does not help survival.
“So it’s a critical area, and it’s resistant to treatment,” Waldholz says.
Multiple cases occurring in a small geographical area is a “statistical leap,” he said. “Something unknown is happening.”
The cause of DIPG is unknown. Although DIPG is not considered a genetic disease, Waldholz explained that people may have a genetic predisposition that makes them more susceptible to developing the tumor, and then they may be “exposed to something we don’t know about.”
of cleveland clinic says “Unlike many other cancers, DIPG does not seem to be associated with environmental risk factors, such as exposure to tobacco smoke or radiation.”
Lawmakers draw the line between cancer and pesticides
Kentucky State Capitol on April 14, 2026 (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Rudd)
During the 2026 legislative session, Kentucky lawmakers cited the state’s high cancer rates during debate. Senate Bill 199However, no one specifically mentioned DIPG.
The bill says: A warning is required below federal law Fully fulfills pesticide manufacturers’ obligations to warn consumers of risks. Supporters said it was a defense of farmers, while opponents accused it of impunity for pesticide manufacturers.
When Kentucky senators debated the bill On March 5, Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria) posed the following questions: connection Between pesticides and cancer, neurological problems, and even birth rates, “we’re seeing unknown hormone disruptors continue to rise and birth rates are going down. We’re seeing more problems with lymphoma in younger and younger people. We’re seeing so many young children even getting cancer.”
Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria; (Kentucky Lantern Photo by McKenna Horsley)
She voted against the bill after commenting on the potential link between pesticides and the “tragic neurological disease, lymphoma issues and early deaths” she experienced in northeast Kentucky.
Some researchers specifically cited glyphosate, an ingredient in pesticides such as Roundup. It is a legal battle It was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A link between cancer and this ingredient has not been proven.
Sen. Lindsey Titchener (R-Smithfield), for example, pointed to ongoing litigation over the issue and said, “I don’t think it’s our place to step in and protect companies that should stand behind their products or pay if they don’t work.”
“We seem to be giving manufacturers, and not just one company but all pesticide manufacturers, a certain amount of license to not innovate, not to keep making things better and safer, to remove some ingredients, to understand better what’s going on,” Funke-Frommeyer said.
in his veto message On March 31, Gov. Andy Beshear wrote that the bill “will shield manufacturers of dangerous pesticides from liability for the harm their products cause to Kentuckians.”
Governor Andy Beshear. (Kentucky Lantern photo: Sarah Ladd)
He also pointed to the opioid epidemic, saying the bill follows “the same federal government that approved misleading labeling of opioids that has destroyed the lives of Kentuckians” in the opioid crisis that has killed thousands of people in the state.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced in February 2020 that glyphosate unlikely It is a human carcinogen. ”
“In a state that consistently has the highest cancer diagnosis and death rates in the nation, the General Assembly is now closing off access to court for the public to seek damages from the manufacturers of these pesticides simply because the products carry federal Environmental Protection Agency-approved warning labels,” Beshear wrote.
The Republican-controlled Congress simply ignored his pen. SB 199 goes into effect on July 15th.
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