Incidence, mortality, and epidemiological aspects of cancers in Iran; differences with the world data

No comprehensive study of cancer incidence and mortality exists in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence, mortality and epidemiological aspects of cancers in our country.

In this study, information of cancer incidence and mortality in Iran was retrieved from International Cancer Registry data and reported by numbers, crude and standardized incidence and mortality rates. Cancer incidence and mortality in Iran were mapped and compared with neighboring countries and the world.

A total of 84,829 cancer cases occurred in Iran in 2012. Overall, 39,991 cases (47.14%) were women and 44,838 (52.85%) men with male to female ratio 1.12. There were 53,350 deaths, of which 43.55% in women and 56.44% in men. The sex ratio of mortality was 1.29. Five cancers with the highest standardized incidence rates (SIR) were breast cancer (28.1), gastric cancer (15.2), prostate cancer (12.6), colorectal cancer (11.1), and esophageal cancer (8.6). Five cancers with the highest standardized mortality rates (SMR) were gastric cancer (12.9), breast cancer (9.9), esophageal cancer (7.8), lung cancer (6.9) and colorectal cancer (6.6).

Our findings revealed that the incidence of some cancers increased compared to reports in previous years. The incidence and mortality were higher in men than in women. Common cancers should be detected early using screening tests such as colonoscopy and mammography. The tests can be especially useful in old age. Additional studies should be performed to investigate the causes of cancer incidence and mortality.