Breast Cancer in Ardabil Province North-West of Iran: An Epidemiological Study

Cancers considered as the third causes of mortality. Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer (23% of all cancers) (Parkin et al., 2002) and the most fatal form of malignancy among women (Anderson et al., 2008; Fouladi et al., 2011), accounting for 16% of cancer deaths (Who report., 2008). Therefore, BC remains a major health problem worldwide. Annually, over one million new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the world. The breast cancer incidence increasing in the world which is related to longevity, change of life style and mortality reduction from other diseases. Despite the increased prevalence of breast cancer, its mortality rate is declining, which is due to the early diagnosis using screening method by mammography and therapeutic advances (Brunicardi et al., 2010). Although, the incidence of breast cancer in white-skinned females is more common, the mortality rate in American black women was 20% higher than white women. Death from breast cancer increased with age and 54% of breast cancer deaths occur in women aged 65 and above (Mousavi et al., 2009). Breast cancer is of the most prevalent cancer and the major cause of death resulting from cancer in women aged 20-59 which generally form 26% of all newly diagnosed cancers in women. The risk of breast cancer in United States women was 1 in 8 in 2004. The incidence and mortality rates from breast cancer in Asian, African, underdeveloped countries, and