A Fine-grain Geospatial and Demographic Analysis of Breast Cancer Patterns in New York State

Abstract

Cancer impacts many people across New York State, with breast cancer being one type of cancer that is especially prevalent. Breast cancer can be detected through screening procedures, and if caught early in its development, has a higher likelihood of treatability and a less severe outcome. In order to better understand existing patterns of breast cancer throughout New York State, we conducted a geospatial and demographic analysis in which we sought to identify disparities in screening, diagnosis, and mortality rates across regions and demographic groups. Statistical analyses were completed using patient-level data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) from 2005 to 2019, where demographic data including age, race, and ethnicity, as well as location-based data such as addresses were collected. Geospatial analysis results revealed clustering for screening and diagnosis rates in certain regions of the state, as well as hot spots. Results from the demographic analysis indicated temporal trends in cancer rates for various age, race, and ethnic groups, as well as a disparity in the mortality rates of breast cancer across race and ethnic groups.