Spatial and temporal analysis of gastric cancer incidence in northwest Iran

Gastric cancer is one of the public health concerns and an important barrier to increasing life expectancy in the world. This study aimed to explore a spatiotemporal analysis of gastric cancer incidence to detect potential cluster patterns across rural districts in Zanjan Province, Iran. This was a descriptive and geospatial analysis study conducted in northwest Iran in 2022. Global Moran's I, hotspot analysis, and Anselin Local Moran's I methods were used to detect potential gastric cancer hotspots, clusters, and high-risk areas. A total of 3162 cancer cases were registered in the Iranian National Population-based Cancer Registry, including 394 (10.7%) gastric cancer patients. The overall age-standardized rate (ASR) for gastric cancer incidence from 2015 to 2017 was 35 per 100,000, with a male predominance (80%) at 53 per 100,000 (P < 0.001). Alvand (southeast Zanjan Province) had the highest ASR for three years with 216 per 100,000 people. Using a spatial analysis method, three hotspots in men and four hotspots in women were identified. In conclusion, plenty of variations were found in the spatial pattern of gastric cancer incidence in Zanjan Province. The high ASR of gastric cancer in the study area compared to the national average is a warning to public health authorities to increase efforts to disseminate cancer prevention measures and provide cancer care in high-risk areas to reduce the incidence of gastric cancer.