From maps to medicine: Geospatial insights into gastrointestinal and hepatopancreatobiliary cancers in Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh

Problem considered From maps to medicine, geospatial epidemiology offers a powerful lens to visualize cancer distribution and translate spatial insights into actionable healthcare planning. Gastrointestinal (GI) and Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) Cancers pose a significant burden in India, yet fine-scale spatial mapping remains underutilized for cancer control planning. Methods This was a retrospective record-based study of 1,544 patients with Gastrointestinal /Hepatopancreatobiliary Cancers treated at a tertiary cancer centre in Rohilkhand region, Uttar Pradesh (January, 2013- August, 2025). Demographic, tumor site, and clinical outcome data were analyzed. Residential addresses were geo-coded to block level, and Spatial clustering of hospital-treated cases were identified using Local Moran's I statistics. Results The median age of patients was 53 years (IQR 44–62), with nearly equal sex distribution. HPB cancers accounted for 56% of cases, of which Gallbladder carcinoma was the most frequent (43%) with female predominance (69.7%). Patients predominantly came from district Bareilly 703(46%), Shahjahanpur 214(14%), and Pilibhit 198 (13%). Among 75 blocks analyzed, 2 (2.6%) showed significant clustering of hospital-treated GI cancer cases. For HPB cancers, 4 (5.3%) blocks in Bareilly and 3 (4%) blocks in Rampur demonstrated significant clustering (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study concludes spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of hospital-treated GI/HPB cancer cases in the Rohilkhand region, with a predominance of gallbladder carcinoma. Identified clusters represent spatial concentrations of patients presenting to a tertiary care center and should be interpreted as descriptive/hypothesis-generating. These findings may inform future studies and more detailed investigations incorporating population denominators and environmental/healthcare access factors.