Examining Relationships Between Cancer Diagnosis Rates and Demographic Factors in New York State

      Many factors can influence the likelihood of an individual to be diagnosed with cancer, or a region to have a high cancer rate.  The goal of this research is to examine some specific aspects and their relationships to the cancer diagnosis rates, and to gain a better understanding of the areas most effected by the disease.  Besides the overall cancer rates, the two most commonly diagnosed, breast cancer and prostate cancer, are examined in their correlations with the population size of the region, ethnicity, age, income, and environmental factors.  Mathematical analysis, statistical tools and geographic information system are used to visualize, investigate, and analyze the spatial patterns, and interpret data to understand the correlations, relationships and trends.  The results of this work shed some insights into determining areas where cancer prevention education and treatment centers are most needed.