Abstract 4855: Identifying hot spots of breast cancer and industrialized areas in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Authors: Villa-Guillen Diana Evelyn , Mata-Valenzuela Aurelio A. , Tecuanhuey-Tlahuel Hector , Galvez-Arevalo Andres M. , Garcia-Castellon Kenneth L. , Guzman-Hernandez Yoahana E. , Ortega-Landa Karla S. , Pelayo-Rodriguez Fatima Y. , Silva-Rivera Jose R. , Ureña-Acosta Rogelio A. , Garcia David O. , Villa-Carrillo Jorge A. 
Published: March 2024

Background: Sonora, a state in Mexico, has the highest rates of breast cancer in the country and has a history of industrial pollution. These factors may contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer. Hermosillo, the state capital, exhibits both of these characteristics. Given these conditions, it is important to further evaluate the prevalence of breast cancer hotspots and the potential links between breast cancer and industrialized areas.

Objective: Identify breast cancer hot spots and their association to industrialized areas in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Methods: This study collected clinical data on breast cancer cases (current, survivors, deceased) from hospital files in Hermosillo that were 10 years old. The primary unit of analysis was neighborhoods. The study estimated breast cancer prevalence by analyzing the number of females per neighborhood, based on data reported by INEGI Census 2020. The data was categorized by age groups (age group no. 1 of 18 to 59 years old, no. 2 of 60 to 64 years old, and no. 3 of 65 years old or older). The estimated prevalence was depicted on a map using ArcGIS software, version 10.8.2. Hot spot analysis was used to identify neighborhoods with high breast cancer prevalence. The study also categorized neighborhoods as industrialized areas if they contained at least six hazard-generator industries.

Results: A total of 1394 cases of breast cancer were gathered from hospitals. Location information for 3697 industries was provided by INEGI. Out of the 756 neighborhoods studied, 95 (12.6 %) were found to be industrialized areas, while 661 (87.4 %) were non-industrialized. Four neighborhoods in Hermosillo's southeast were observed to have breast cancer hot spots (unadjusted). After adjusting for age, one hot spot was found in the southeast for age group no. 1 (one neighborhood), while hot spots for group no. 2 (three neighborhoods) and no. 3 (33 neighborhoods) were in Hermosillo's northwest. The hot spots were related to industrialized areas (unadjusted OR = 6.94, 95% CI (0.94, 50.8), p-value = 0.05). After age adjustment, this association was statistically significant for group no. 3 (OR = 2.70, 95% CI (1.27, 5.72), p-value = 0.009), but not for group no. 1 (OR = 1.69, 95% CI (0.06, 41.74), p-value = 0.748) or group no. 2 (OR = 2.56, 95% CI (0.23, 28.46), p-value = 0.44).

Conclusions: Our research found a link between industrialized areas and high breast cancer rates. We also found hotspots for women aged 65+ in Hermosillo, with 33 affected neighborhoods in the city's northwest. This is the first comprehensive study examining breast cancer prevalence in Hermosillo over a ten-year period. More extensive studies are needed in other cities in Sonora, Mexico, to confirm our findings.

Citation Format: Diana Evelyn Villa-Guillen, Aurelio A. Mata-Valenzuela, Hector Tecuanhuey-Tlahuel, Andres M. Galvez-Arevalo, Kenneth L. Garcia-Castellon, Yoahana E. Guzman-Hernandez, Karla S. Ortega-Landa, Fatima Y. Pelayo-Rodriguez, Jose R. Silva-Rivera, Rogelio A. Ureña-Acosta, David O. Garcia, Jorge A. Villa-Carrillo. Identifying hot spots of breast cancer and industrialized areas in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4855.