What is known?
Examining the variations in survival rates among cancer patients across small geographical regions can give us valuable insights into where there might be differences in healthcare outcomes. By understanding these variations, resources can be allocated more effectively. To examine these variations, appropriate statistical techniques are needed. This review is the first of its kind, investigating the different statistical methods and visualization techniques used to study these disparities in cancer survival between different areas.
What is new?
We looked at thirty-two articles for this study, and most of them came from wealthier countries with population-based cancer registries. The number of articles published increased over time. Researchers used various statistical, and visualisation approaches to report the information. However, some of the barriers preventing more widespread application of these methods included cancer registries not having full coverage across all geographical areas, insufficient resources, and limited knowledge for applying the often-complex statistical methods involved.
What does this mean?
We looked at thirty-two articles for this study, and most of them came from wealthier countries with population-based cancer registries. The number of articles published increased over time. Researchers used various statistical, and visualisation approaches to report the information. However, some of the barriers preventing more widespread application of these methods included cancer registries not having full coverage across all geographical areas, insufficient resources, and limited knowledge for applying the often-complex statistical methods involved.
Contact: Peter Baade
Reference: Bizuayehu HM, Cameron JK, Dasgupta P, Baade PD. A review of the application of spatial survival methods in cancer research: trends, modelling and visualization techniques. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2023 32(8):1011-1020. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-23-0154. PMID: 37257201.