The Environmental Causes of Cancer Distribution in Syria

the last two decades witnessed a boost in cancer incidences in Syria, as well as high mortality ratios. The influence of the environmental factors was neglected beforehand. The study employed the geographical tools to investigate the environmental distribution of cancer disease and the environmental factor that controls this distribution. The study used the statistical, systematic, analytical descriptive, comparative and the cartographical methods, each of which were employed differently according to the data characteristics. Personal and spatial data were collected from treatment points in a questionnaire that allowed adjusting each of them on the electronic interactive map. Data was analysed statistically and cartographically depicted. Accordingly parallel descriptive and comparative data were added for reaching the final conclusions. Thematic maps were the final product of using GIS. Natural risk factors were the main focus in addition to people nutrition habits. The study showed many clusters based on the kind of cancer and the kind of risk factor and drew the attention to some risk factors that people disregard (the frequent relative marriage) and some uncommon ones like lithology. Tracing pollution in time line helped to link the earlier influences and the accumulated factor to the recent incidence. The environmental risk factors were the minor reasons for the cancer clusters (elevation height, solar radiation, rock type, polluted gases in the atmosphere and water wells), meanwhile people habitual activities were the major reason (kind of job, smoking and nutrition system). Considerably some urgent risk factor caused the small clusters up on different groups of people. Further environmental studies concerning water resources and agricultural frameworks are crucial to be carried out in this domain.