Precipitation and Climate Zone Explains the Geographical Disparity in the Invasive Cancer Incidence Rates in the United States

Abstract

Environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation and pollution have been known to influence the incidence rate of cancer. However, these factors do not explain the variation in incidence rates across the United States. In this study, the hypothesis that precipitation and climate zone play a role in determining the incidence rate of invasive cancer in the United States is tested. The hypothesis was tested using the county-level cancer incidence rate data obtained from the Center for Disease Control's National Program of Cancer Registries Cancer Surveillance System. Individual generalized linear models were developed for each of the five separate cancer incidence rates, as well as total invasive cancer. Precipitation and climate zone were included in each model along with demographic variables such as annual income, population by gender, race, and age - important control variables. Results indicate that in the United States, counties with high precipitation and cold climate have statistically significantly higher rates of invasive cancer incidence rates (p < 0.05). This is the first study reporting precipitation and climate as natural environmental factors responsible for the geographical disparity in invasive cancer incidence rates within the United States.