title: On the fine structure of the distribution of primary nervous system neoplasms in Western Poland.
abstract: The incidence rates of primary nervous system neoplasms in 5 districts (large administrative units) of Western Poland with a relatively homogeneous health care system but some contrasts in economic activity, as well as in 224 communes (smallest administrative units) located within these 5 districts, with a total population of 3,097,000 were estimated on the appointed day (31.12.79). Testing the hypothesis, assuming a homogeneous distribution of nervous system neoplasms over the region under investigation, that the incidence rates were distributed as a Poisson variable has revealed a focal distribution of these tumours; in 15 communes the frequency was higher than 9.0 and deviated from the remainder in the 5% right tail of the distribution. The main conclusion from the presented results was that tumours of the nervous system, of which 90% were intracranially located, may occur in clusters or foci, and this could prove to be of clinical as well as statistical import.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009423:Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland; D012737:Sex Factors; D013029:Space-Time Clustering