Spatial analysis of cancer cases by geographical information systems in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey

Cancer takes place as an important health issue nowadays. Examining variations of cancer cases in time and spatially is necessary to develop control strategies struggling against cancer and to put cancer control programme into practice. Creating cancer maps is necessary for obtaining information on such matters as that cancer chases are encountered in what regions with what frequency, examining the distribution of cancer types geographically, and determining that what region has the highest density of its case. Consequently, alternatives of accurate decision making against the disease will be increased by creating more reliable and precise data infrastructures about how and on what regions control strategies struggling against cancer should be carried out.In this PhD thesis, in accordance with these requirements, it was aimed to build a spatial database based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and to produce thematic maps relating cancer cases to allocation units for examining the spatial distribution of cancer cases together with population and environmental factors in the Eastern Black-Sea Region of Turkey. In addition, within this study, the distribution of cancer cases in the region was observed and geographical locations of cancer density areas in conjunction with population were determined in the GIS environment. Thus, using produced cancer cases density maps, relation between cases and environmental factors have been examined geo-statistically in the entire region. Geo-statistical and spatial analyses have also been carried out and shown on the maps. Especially different thematic cancer maps based on GIS have been created for further more detailed studies in the region in epidemiological topics. Consequently, it is considered that the results of this study would help develop and apply cancer control programmes in the country.