Spatiotemporal Patterns of Cancer among Women in Central Serbia: Relevance for Risk-Informed Health Planning

Malignant diseases are among the most prevalent health conditions affecting the female population in the Republic of Serbia. This study provides an overview of the most common malignant diseases – cancers in women in the central part of Serbia from 1999 to 2021, including breast, cervical, uterine, colorectal, bladder, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, and bronchial cancers from a geographic perspective. The spatial hot spots were identified using the well-known Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. New and consecutive hot spots for lung and bronchus cancer incidence were detected in Zlatiborski, Moravički, Mačvanski, and Beogradski counties, with oscillating and sporadic hot spots in the others. Consecutive hot spots for lung and bronchus cancer mortality were identified in Beogradski, Kolubarski, Podunavski, and Šumadijski counties, whereas oscillating hot spots were identified in Braničevski and Pomoravski counties. New hotspots for ovarian cancer incidence were concentrated in Zlatiborski and Moravički counties, whereas cold spots for uterine cancer incidence were identified in Kolubarski, Šumadijski, and Mačvanski counties. Pancreatic cancer incidence exhibited consecutive and sporadic patterns across multiple regions, while bladder cancer incidence showed widespread hot spots. The results provide valuable evidence on regions most severely affected and underscore the necessity of targeted preventive and intervention strategies. This analysis contributes to improving public health outcomes in Serbia and offers a model for similar studies in other countries.