Variations in the spatial distribution of gall bladder cancer: a call for collaborative action

Abstract

Background: The incidence of gall bladder cancers in this part of the world is high and the spatial variation in occurrence of gall bladder cancers can be identified by using geographical information system.
Materials and Methods: Data set containing the address information of gall bladder cancer patients from the District of Kamrup, India was obtained from cancer registry of a regional cancer center. The data set consisted of patients registered during the period of January 2010 to December 2012. The ArcGIS 10.0 used for the present analysis and the population density map of the District was prepared by using LandScan, 2008™.
Results: There were isolated areas with very high density of cases and low population density termed as “hot spots”. Alternatively there were areas with very high population density and lesser number of cases with gall bladder cancers.
Conclusion: This type of an analysis using GIS provides evidence to conduct joint research by epidemiologists and specialists from environmental and geological sciences in tandem.

Keywords: Gall bladder cancer, geographical information system, Kamrup, India, spatial variations