Spatiotemporal and trend analysis of common cancers in men in Central Serbia (1999–2021)

Abstract This study analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns of seven common cancers in the male population using 23 years of data (1999–2021) across 18 counties in Central Serbia. The spatial distribution of cancer incidence and mortality rates and their temporal evolution were examined at the county level using Getis–Ord <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <m:msubsup> <m:mrow> <m:mi>G</m:mi> </m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mi>i</m:mi> </m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mo>*</m:mo> </m:mrow> </m:msubsup> </m:math> {G}_{i}^{* } techniques, while trends were analysed with Mann-Kendall statistics. Hot spot analysis revealed a decline in mortality rates, whereas incidence rates increased. New colorectal cancer incidence hotspots emerged in three counties, while consecutive bladder cancer hotspots appeared in two counties. Conversely, new cold spots in mortality rates were found for lung and bronchus cancer in four counties, stomach cancer in two, and laryngeal cancer in one. An increasing trend in both incidence and mortality rates was identified for lung and bronchus cancer and colorectal cancer in three counties. In addition, prostate and pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality rates rose in two counties. In contrast, stomach cancer showed a decreasing trend in four counties, as did laryngeal cancer in two. This research enhances public health efforts by identifying vulnerable areas, assessing current health strategies, and guiding new interventions.