Current practices in cancer spatial data analysis: A call for guidance

Abstract

There has long been a recognition that place matters in health, from recognition of clusters of yellow fever and cholera in the 1800s to modern day analyses of regional and neighborhood effects on cancer patterns. Here we provide a summary of discussions about current practices in the spatial analysis of georeferenced cancer data by a panel of experts recently convened at the National Cancer Institute. © 2005 Pickle et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.