Spatial variability of breast cancer in Slovakia examined by means of spatial autocorrelation method

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the Slovak population. Breast cancer, one of the most prevalent oncological diseases worldwide, is the primary cause of female mortality. Geographic analyses of the spatial distribution of breast cancer are relatively scarce in Slovak literature. In this article, we assume that, at the local and regional levels in Slovakia, breast cancer exhibits varying frequency, incidence rates, and spatial disparities. We evaluated the spatial incidence patterns of breast cancer in Slovakia at the municipal level using spatial autocorrelation analyses, specifically local Moran’s I and Anselin’s local Moran’s statistics. Our study utilized databases on female-specific mortality rates due to breast cancer, calculated per 1,000 women aged 15 and older, covering the period from 2009 to 2021. During the study period, breast cancer incidence among women showed a statistically significant positive global Moran’s index, indicating a tendency toward clustering. According to Anselin’s local Moran’s I analyses, significant clusters of breast cancer were primarily identified in the western and central regions of Slovakia.