Configurational analysis of ovarian cancer incidence in 30 provinces of China and its policy implications: a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis approach.

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is one of the three most common gynecological cancers, with the highest mortality rate among gynecological malignancies. Previous studies on the environmental and socioeconomic (ESE) factors that affect ovarian cancer incidence (OCI) have generally only considered the net effects of single variables, while the synergistic effects among multiple factors have yet to be explored.

Methods: Based on a sample of 30 provinces in Mainland China, an ESE configuration model was constructed in this study, using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis approach to empirically explore the configuration effects of multiple ESE factors on OCI.

Results: (1) Education, marriage, income, insurance, urbanization, and environment alone do not constitute the necessary conditions for high or low OCI, indicating a need to comprehensively consider the configuration effects of these six conditions. (2) There are two configurations for high OCI: "configuration of environmental pollution under low socioeconomic development" and "configuration of insurance deficiency under high socioeconomic development." (3) There are two configurations for low OCI: "configuration of insurance adequacy under low socioeconomic development" and "configuration of insurance adequacy under low urbanization."

Conclusion: The main contribution of this study is its focus on the configuration mechanism of ESE factors, enhancing understanding of the synergistic effects among the multiple factors that affect OCI. The study also provides valuable policy implications for decision-makers to formulate comprehensive health policies for the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer.