BioMedware, 516 North State Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104-1236, USA. jacquez@biomedware.com.
While many lessons have been learned from the spatial analysis of cancer, there are several caveats that apply to many, if not all such analyses. As "flies in the ointment", these can substantially detract from a spatial analysis, and if not accounted for, can lead to weakened and erroneous conclusions. This paper discusses several assumptions and limitations of spatial analysis, identifies problems of scientific inference, and concludes with potential solutions and future directions.