Assessing the Comparative Spatial Variances in the Effects of Urban Built Environments, City Risking Behaviors, and Air Pollutants on Breast and Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Cancer is a serious public health dilemma. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths. Therefore, research on effectively preventing and managing cancer is continuously needed in various fields in order to improve people's quality of life and safety. This study aims to explore the spatial distribution of incidences of breast cancer and prostate cancer that occurred in Korea from 2009 to 2013 with the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS). This research also examined the association between prostate cancer, breast cancer, air pollutants (CO, NO₂, PM₁₀, SO₂), urban health-risk behaviors (smoking, drinking, and obesity), and the built environment of industrial, commercial, residential, and green areas. The main results showed that cancer incidence rates were highly clustered in specific regions and the regional differences in cancer incidence rates significantly depended on the cancer type. Concentrations of air pollutants also vary by region and tend to be high in certain regions. Air pollution is likely to play a mediating role in the relationship between the built environment and cancer incidences rather than the built environment directly affecting cancer incidences. These findings suggest that it is necessary to examine spatial and regional characteristics in building cancer prevention strategies and policies. This also emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary research for cancer prevention, not only in the medical field, but also in public health, urban planning, and environmental fields.