Background:

A study that involved spatial analysis tools is presented to demonstrate their possible impact on secondary prevention actions of breast cancer (BC).

Objective:

To examine clinical characteristics of BC in women living in Jalisco, Mexico, and to analyze the spatial distribution of diagnoses.

Methods:

Ecological-exploratory study. Clinical records of women diagnosed with BC during 2013-2017 were reviewed to collect clinical and sociodemographic variables. Using descriptive, inferential, and spatial statistics, age groups were compared according to stage classification (early/late), and spatial density.

Results:

There were 1,245 diagnoses. Average age 52.9 years (± 12.3); 80.7% performed housework. According to mammography, 55.7% of women reported BI-RADS 4 and 5; 55.2% were diagnosed late, mainly in the = 60 age group (odds ratio = 1.15, 95% confidence interval = 0.65-1.09). 87.5% of diagnoses were concentrated in municipalities with higher population density in the study area; a higher number of diagnoses per spatial unit (km2) were observed in the northeast area.

Conclusions:

BC detection and diagnosis are still performed in clinically advanced stages, so it´s suggested to focus secondary prevention actions territorially to increase their population impact.

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