Children and teens in Ladera Ranch, California, are getting a rare bone cancer at a higher rate than the national average. (Photo: LA Times)
Ladera Ranch is a 4,000-acre planned community in southern Orange County, California. As per the 2020 census, this ranch had a population of 26,170. About 2.9 out of every 1 million kids get Ewing sarcoma each year in the US, but the number for Orange County is 3.1. At least six cases of Ewing sarcoma were reported between 2013 and 2024. LA Times spoke to Ladera Ranch resident Bonnie Regan, whose son Ryan died of this cancer in October 2025. Ryan was diagnosed with this cancer in 2017 when he was 29.
“There definitely is cause for concern for members of this community,” Dr Janet Yoon, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at City of Hope who specializes in Ewing sarcoma, said to the Los Angeles Times. I had never even heard of this kind of cancer before,” Regan said. California Geologic Energy Management Division spokesperson said CalGEM generally recommends that structures not be placed over sealed wells. Though wells which are plugged and sealed to current requirements are less likely to experience leakage, there is no guarantee, a spokesperson said.
The residents of the ranch have now raised a cancer concern with the California Department of Public Health that children or young adults of the ranch are suffering from Ewing sarcoma, a very rare cancer that starts in bone or soft tissue. He fought the cancer for eight years until it spread to his lungs, shoulder, brain, spine, lymph node, adrenal gland and stomach. “There is something wrong here. With the growing number of cancer cases, the residents formed a group called Ladera Health Watch to gather health data. Initially, they focused on limiting pesticide use. Now they are concerned that the ranch sits on old oil and gas wells and probably that might have a connection with the cancer cases.