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Geospatial approaches to cancer control and population sciences at the United States cancer centers

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Abstract

Purpose

Geospatial, contextual, and multilevel research is integral to cancer prevention and control. NCI-designated Cancer Centers are at the forefront of cancer research; therefore, this paper sought to review the geospatial, contextual, and multilevel research at these cancer centers.

Methods

Investigators used PubMed and Web of Science to compile geospatial publications from 1971 to February 2016 with cancer center-affiliated authors. Relevant abstracts were pulled and classified by six geospatial approaches, eight geospatial scales, and eight cancer sites.

Results

The searches identified 802 geospatial, contextual, and multilevel publications with authors affiliated at 60 of the 68 NCI-designated Cancer Centers. Over 90% were published after 2000. Five cancer centers accounted for approximately 50% of total publications, and 30 cancer centers accounted for over 85% of total publications. Publications covered all geospatial approaches and scales to varying degrees, and 90% dealt with cancer.

Conclusions

The NCI-designated Cancer Center network is increasingly pursuing geospatial, contextual, and multilevel cancer research, although many cancer centers still conduct limited to no research in this area. Expanding geospatial efforts to research programs across all cancer centers will further enrich cancer prevention and control. Similar reviews may benefit other domestic and international cancer research institutions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Drs. Gary Ellison and Stephen Taplin, members of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) multilevel, contextual, and geospatial working group, for discussion and comments.

Funding

The authors declare no specific sources of funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Robert W. Korycinski

  2. ICF, Fairfax, VA, 22031, USA

    Bethany L. Tennant, Michelle A. Cawley & Bonny Bloodgood

  3. Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    April Y. Oh & David Berrigan

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  1. Robert W. Korycinski
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  2. Bethany L. Tennant
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  3. Michelle A. Cawley
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  5. April Y. Oh
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  6. David Berrigan
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Contributions

DB conceived of, and DB and AYO oversaw, the project; RWK, BLT, MAC, and BB carried out the searches, screened abstracts, and helped develop scoring criteria. RWK analyzed results and drafted the paper. All authors edited successive versions of the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert W. Korycinski.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Korycinski, R.W., Tennant, B.L., Cawley, M.A. et al. Geospatial approaches to cancer control and population sciences at the United States cancer centers. Cancer Causes Control 29, 371–377 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-018-1009-0

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