Using GIS to Produce Cancer Incidence Maps: A Case Study of Trabzon, Turkey  Ebru Colak, MScE Karadeniz Technical Universityv Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry Engineering, GISLab 61080 Trabzon-Turkey Phone. +90-462-3773654 Fax:+90-462-3280918 Email: ecolak@ktu.edu.tr  Tahsin Yomralioglu, PhD Karadeniz Technical University Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry Engineering, GISLab 61080 Trabzon-Turkey Phone. +90-462-3773654 Fax:+90-462-3280918 Email: tahsin@ktu.edu.tr Web: www.gislab.ktu.edu.tr Abstract Forming a cancer control program and putting strategic action plans into practice became an important matter for the health industry. Especially in cancer cases, the correlation of variations in different societies and environmental factors should be examined spatially with reliable data. To achieve this, cancer occurrence density maps have to be created. In this study, a database was built with the ability of GIS to examine the distribution of cancer cases, and maps relating to cancer events in allocation units were created. The Trabzon province of Turkey has been used as a case study. Cancer cases data registered in 2004 by the Cancer Struggle Department of Health Directorate of Trabzon of Turkey were used. Using ArcGIS software, the distribution of cancer cases was presented on cancer maps including allocation units and incidence values, which were calculated for each town-based region. According to the World Health Organization standards cancer rates were determined and examined by the spatial analysis power of GIS. 1. Introduction Cancer is one of the most important health phenomenons of today. Its high mortality rate, the disabilities it leaves behind and the high costs of medication are the causes of heavy losses in terms of both national economy and labor. In Turkey, for example, cancer is the second mortal disease leading to deaths (Özet, 2005). In the country, 100-150 thousand cancer cases are observed, and prevalence of cancer is increasing 6% rate in every year. It must take a measures against cancer, otherwise, 5 million people will be cancer in the future 20 years and 3,5 million of these people will lose their life (Tuncer, 2005). Precaution policy against cancer is tried to form in Turkey. Firstly, available dimension of cancer is required to reveal. Therefore, cancer statistics is tried to obtain reliably. In order for the Cancer Control Programme (CCP) which is prepared to cancer by World Health Organization (WHO) to be implemented in Turkey, the frequency of the cancer disease, the number of patients and the cancer types should be known (URL-1). In order to develop control strategies for cancer, firstly, there is need for descriptive statistics defining dimension of the disease (Sengelen, 2002). In 1992, “Turkish Cancer Record and Incidence” project was started to make cancer statistics and control programs available. For this purpose, Cancer Record Centers (CRC) were founded in 11 provinces of Turkey and the cancer cases was started to be recorded in the country. One of these centers is located in the Trabzon province. The cancer cases in the Eastern Black Sea Region are recorded by Trabzon Cancer Recording Center (URL-2). This study is a pilot application regarding the cancer maps which are guiding base maps in order for the cancer control program to be prepared. It will be tested in view of reaching effective results in the usage of cancer maps for nationwide cancer controls. When cancer maps are produced, there will be opportunities for determining the regions with a considerable density and studying the factors triggering the cancer cases in these regions (Colak, E., 2005). Trabzon province of Turkey is selected as a study area. In this study, firstly, a database using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) set up and then the statistical maps displaying cancer density of settlement areas were displayed. In constitution of statistical cancer maps, the cancer cases data recorded in the Cancer Struggle Department of Health Directorate of Trabzon for the year 2004 was used. The cancer cases and related information were displayed on the maps by GIS techniques to make cancer data in spatial meaning. Therefore, distribution of the cancer cases could have been investigated in spatial base.
Page 1 of 3
| Next | |