Cluster of extremely rare cancer cases suddenly strikes kids in wealthy SoCal city

A cluster of diagnoses involving an extremely rare form of cancer has left families in an affluent Orange County community searching for answers after multiple children were diagnosed with the same disease.Families in Ladera Ranch say at least six children from the area have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft tissue cancer that affects only about 200 to 240 children and teenagers nationwide each year, according to the American Cancer Society.Among them was 17-year-old Brody Matteson, who died after battling the disease.“He was an outdoor kid.There was a time to be outside, that was Brody,” his mother, Megan Matteson, told NBC Los Angeles.

“He was out on his bike, out at the park.They were building bike jumps.

He was out at all the parks around Ladera.”Matteson said her son’s ordeal began shortly before his 16th birthday when he complained of persistent back pain.Doctors later discovered the cancer had developed on his spine.“The Ewing Sarcoma was on his spine.

It was on L4,” she told the network.“The hard part of having Ewing on your spine, you can’t do surgery.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story “He fought from August of 2024 until July 2025,” she added.

Brody died in March.After losing her son, Matteson said she was contacted by several other Ladera Ranch families whose children had also been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, raising concerns that the cases could be connected.“To have three families that just contacted me right away after Brody was diagnosed was helpful but scary at the same time,” she told NBCLA.The families say they have no proof of what may be behind the diagnoses but are urging officials to examine whether pesticides used throughout the community could be a factor.Research has ...