Kwarteng Efiba Vidda Senkyire, Larbi Amma Aboagyewa, Anderson Nanatte Veronica, Wahab Sheriff, Oppong-Mensah Yaa Gyamfua, Andam-Akorful Samuel Ato, Kwarteng Alexander, Osei-Tutu Lawrence, Acquah Gladys, Asoogo Comfort, Eklu Bernice, Obeng Paul, Manlokiya Barnabas, Gyan Ben, Paintsil Vivian
Department of Geomatic Engineering Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana.
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana.
Health Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 29;8(5):e70797. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70797. eCollection 2025 May.
More than 80% of children living with cancer reside in developing countries like Ghana, with over 1000 new cases projected each year. Spatial analysis of pediatric cancers provides insights into possible environmental risk factors, potential genetic associations, and the identification of clusters or hotspots, which can guide further investigation into causal factors and inform population-level interventions.
This retrospective observational study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution dynamics of pediatric cancer cases diagnosed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana.
Poisson regression and spatial statistical tools, including Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Kulldorff's spatial scan statistics, were used to analyze 652 pediatric cancer cases recorded from 2018 to 2022 in Southern Ghana.
The results revealed increasing pediatric cancer cases over the 5 years. Burkitt Lymphoma, Leukemia, Nephroblastoma, Other Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and Retinoblastoma had higher incidence among children, with males having a 24% higher incidence rate compared to females (Incident Rate Ratios [IRR] estimated at 1.24 at < 0.01, 95% confidence interval [CI): 1.06, 1.45). Further, the KDE plot consistently revealed a high density of reported cases in the central part of the study area, with a noticeable directional diffusion of pediatric cancer cases toward the northwest from 2018 to 2022. Three significant clusters of relative risk between 1.65 and 2.17, < 0.01, were identified, covering parts of the Bono East and Ashanti Regions of Ghana.
Clustering cancer cases could suggest a possible environmental influence on the occurrence of the disease. Although this study offers relevant baseline information, comprehensive epidemiological investigations are necessary to establish specific environmental risk factors and potential gene-environment interactions contributing to this pediatric cancer clustering.
超过80%的癌症患儿生活在加纳等发展中国家，预计每年有超过1000例新病例。对儿童癌症进行空间分析有助于了解可能的环境风险因素、潜在的基因关联以及识别聚集区或热点地区，从而指导对病因的进一步调查并为人群层面的干预措施提供依据。
这项回顾性观察研究旨在调查加纳Komfo Anokye教学医院诊断的儿童癌症病例的空间分布动态。
使用泊松回归和空间统计工具，包括核密度估计（KDE）和Kulldorff空间扫描统计，对2018年至2022年在加纳南部记录的652例儿童癌症病例进行分析。
结果显示，5年间儿童癌症病例呈上升趋势。伯基特淋巴瘤、白血病、肾母细胞瘤、其他非霍奇金淋巴瘤和视网膜母细胞瘤在儿童中的发病率较高，男性发病率比女性高24%（发病率比[IRR]估计为1.24，<0.01，95%置信区间[CI]：1.06，1.45）。此外，KDE图始终显示研究区域中部报告病例的高密度，并且从2018年到2022年儿童癌症病例有明显向西北方向的扩散。确定了三个相对风险在1.65至2.17之间、<0.01的显著聚集区，覆盖加纳的Bono East和阿散蒂地区的部分地区。
癌症病例的聚集可能表明疾病发生存在潜在的环境影响。尽管本研究提供了相关的基线信息，但仍需要进行全面的流行病学调查，以确定导致这种儿童癌症聚集的具体环境风险因素和潜在的基因-环境相互作用。
