Characterisation of gastric cancer and its relation to environmental factors: a case study in Shenqiu County, China

Abstract

This article presents the results of spatial analysis of gastric cancer and its relation to environmental conditions in Shenqiu County, China. Retrospective data on gastric cancer mortality (GCM) were analysed at various spatial scales, with its relation to environmental factors explored at an appropriate scale. The results considered 2 × 2 km² grid as the optimal level for characterising GCM due to the highest Moran’s I (I = 0.68, p < 0.01). Then, three clustering regions were clearly identified. Meanwhile, GCM was obviously associated with topography (r = −0.11, p < 0.10), farmland (r = 0.11, p < 0.10), population density (r = 0.10, p < 0.10) and river density (r = 0.11, p < 0.10) in the buffered zones. It indicates that spatial grid technique is suitable for characterising GCM in Shenqiu County, and that GCM was geographically associated with environmental conditions. We suggest that preventive measures for controlling the environment-related malignant neoplasm should not be limited in the regions suffering from this disease but be reasonably extended to surrounding areas.

Keywords:

• gastric cancer mortality
• spatial grid
• spatial analysis
• environmental factors

Acknowledgements

We thank all participants in this study for their time. We are also thankful to Chinese CDC and RESDC for the mortality data and basic geographic data.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the ‘Eleventh Five-Year’ National Science and Technology Support Project [grant number 2006BA119B03].