TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Three sisters raised in Tonawanda were each diagnosed with thyroid cancer, all in a relatively short period of time.
The chance of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer has risen in recent years and is the most rapidly increasing cancer in the United States, tripling in the past three decades.
The Infante sisters from Tonawanda, Amy, Sarah and Katie, all grew up in at the corner of Hillcrest and Summit. The girls had a relatively normal life until one by one each of them received the bad news, with no symptoms at all, all three were diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.
When Sarah heard her thyroid levels were off and the doctors wanted her thyroid removed, she went into surgery not even knowing that her thyroid was cancerous at the time.
"Going into surgery, I did not know I had cancer," she said. "Coming out I was told the same day that I had cancer, I was also cancer-free."
With their thyroids removed, the three sisters are now on medication for the rest of their life to regulate their hormones, a daily reminder that this type of cancer is a life long sentence.
The Infante sisters are now concerned with how many neighbors and other locals that have been contacting them have similar thyroid issues.
Doctors at Roswell Park say everyone is at risk of getting the highly treatable cancer, and that many have it right now and never even know it.
Professor of Oncology Dr. Anurag Singh says it's not something to be overly concerned with if you don't have a family history of it.
Dr. Singh says while three sisters all getting thyroid cancer is remarkable, it is certainly not rare.
Dr. Singh says while they have come a long way, cancer genetics is a new science. They still have not identified the genetic or environmental factors that predisposed the sisters to thyroid cancer.
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