Identifying Rural Hotspots for Head and Neck Cancer Using the Bayesian Mapping Approach

Abstract

Cancers often tend to occur at a higher rate in rural and remote communities due to various reasons. Identifying these cancer hotspots will assist in adequate resourcing of such hotspots. This study was conducted to identify head and neck cancer hotspots in Queensland (QLD), Australia, based on the historical data collected by the cancer register and employing a specialized Bayesian mapping approach. The findings of this study suggested that many rural and remote regions in QLD experience significantly higher head and neck cancer incidence rates and death rates when compared to the QLD state average rates and their surrounding regions. Additionally, a generalized increasing trend of head and neck cancers was noted across the studied period (1982–2018). Although the precise reasons for this increasing trend over time are unclear, a range of factors, such as distance from the tertiary hospitals, lack of awareness of risk factors, behavioral and lifestyle factors, and delayed diagnosis, may be considered to contribute. Our study successfully utilized a robust method to identify head and neck cancer hotspots and will aid in supporting the community and healthcare providers in the region with additional resources to prevent and manage cancer.