Summary Breast cancer is a disease whose incidence is increasing in both developed and developing countries, but whose complex aetiology is not dearly understood. Recent research suggests that the environment may be an important factor, hence an investigation into spatial patterning of incidence could inform such research. We use data on incidence in north-west Lancashire and apply some techniques for exploratory spatial analysis, at a variety of spatial scales. Issues relating to the use of incidence data and the interpretation of results are discussed.