Investigation of the Geographical Distribution of Female Cancer Patterns in Belgium Using Pattern Recognition Techniques

Thielemans A (Farmaceutisch Instituut, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium) Hopke PK, do Quint P, Depoorter A M, Thiers G and Massart 0 L International Journal of Epidemiology 1988, 17: 724–731 Different multivariate methods have been applied to obtain an overview of the Belgian female cancer mortality distribution. The resulting maps and figures show the patterns of female cancer mortality to be strongly geographically determined. Two major trends can be derived namely along the north-south axis and along the east-west axis of the country. The cancer sites responsible for these patterns are identified.