Understanding the risk of breast cancer from population and geographic perspective

Background Breast cancer is one of the most significant public health challenges in the United States. This study aims to deepen the understanding of burden of breast cancer from a four-dimensional view based on population and geographic information to inform better evidence-based decision making and resource optimization. Methods Data of breast cancer in the study were derived from National Cancer Institutes’ State Cancer Profiles, including total count and age-standardized prevalence of breast cancer by state. Four indicators were estimated, including total count, population-based P rate, geographic-based G rate and population and geographic-based PG rate. The free software R was used to do the geographic mapping to visualize the pattern of the four indicators across states. Results The top five states with the largest count of breast cancer were California, Florida, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania, informing the resources needed for treatment. The top five states with highest P rate were Maryland, Wyoming, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Oregon, while the top five states with highest G rate included New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland, revealing breast cancer risk from population and geographic perspective. When controlling for both population and geographic size, the states with highest PG rate were Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, and New Jersey, presenting a declining trend of breast cancer burden from Northeast to Southwest. Conclusion This study added two indicators to the conventional measures of disease risk to incorporate the influence of geographic information, presenting a four-dimensional national pattern of breast cancer risk. Study findings will provide evidence informing better decision making for optimal resource allocation.