Geography of childhood cancer in Switzerland studied

Maps showing estimated childhood cancer risk in Switzerland for the period 1985-2015. The color scale indicates how much higher (or lower) the cancer risk was compared to the national average, e.g. 1.2 indicates a higher risk by 20%. The adjusted models (on the right) show the variation that remains after accounting for several factors such as degree of urbanization (urban, rural, intermediate), socio- economic position, language region, traffic-related air pollution and natural background radiation. International Journal of Health Geographics, 2020 - A research group under the direction of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine of the University Bern has investigated the spatial distribution of childhood cancer risks in Switzerland for the period 1985-2015. The group found evidence of increased risks in certain areas, particularly for brain tumors. The researchers demand that the search for the causes of brain tumors in children be intensified. While cancer is rare in children, it is, nevertheless, the second most common cause of death during childhood in Switzerland and other European countries.