The Implementation of Stochastic Model to the Study of Breast Cancer in Rivers State of Nigeria
NNOKA, LOVE CHERUKEI *
Department of Statistics, Port Harcourt Polytechnic, Rumuola, Rivers State, Nigeria.
ELEONU, BLESSING CHIKODI
Department of Statistics, Port Harcourt Polytechnic, Rumuola, Rivers State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The Paper applied Stochastic model to the study of breast cancer data in Rivers State by considering Cancer data from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Cancer Registry Unit.
The sample data was transformed to a 3×3 transition count matrix denoted as M while its corresponding transition probability matrix was denoted by P. The stochastic principle was used to determine the ages of women that were susceptible to breast cancer and the number of women who transited from one state of cancer to another and also the number of women who left the system as a result of death. The plot of the raw data against the time showed that as the year went by, the number of breast cancer patient increased.
However, this study investigated the discrepancies that existed in regions among women with breast cancers and also estimated the age bracket of women that would be mostly affected with breast cancer in the nearest future.
This study proffered solution to factors that could reduce the risk of breast cancer in Rivers State and across the globe.
Keywords: Stochastic principle, breast cancer, Rivers State, transition matrix