International journal of women's health
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Hospitalisations and Mortality From Gynaecological Cancers in Ecuador, 2015-2024
By Lalangui-Vivanco K, Jaramillo-Feijoo LE, Real-Cotto JJ and 1 others.
Abstract
Purpose
To analyse the spatiotemporal patterns of hospitalisations and mortality due to gynaecological cancers in Ecuador (2015-2024), identify provincial geographic disparities, and examine the association between healthcare infrastructure and clustering patterns.
Methods
This population-based ecological study used INEC hospital discharge and general death records for women with gynaecological cancers (ICD-10: C51-C57) in Ecuador from 2015 to 2024. Age-standardised rates per 100,000 women were calculated by year, cause, age group, and province of residence. K-means clustering was applied separately to hospitalisation and mortality rates to identify provinces with similar temporal trajectories. Global and local Moran's I assessed spatial autocorrelation, and Spearman correlations and Kruskal-Wallis tests examined associations with healthcare infrastructure.