Estimation of Cure Rates for Breast Cancer in Iranian Women

Breast cancer is considered to be the most common cancer in women throughout the world (Parkin et al., 2005). In Iran, breast cancer ranks first among cancers diagnosed in women (Sadjadi et al., 2005) and the most frequent cancer in women population in Tehran (Mohagheghi et al., 2009). Its mortality rate increased (Taghavi et al, 2012), with similar pattern to expected mortality rates in general Iranian women population (Haghighat et al, 2012). The survival analysis is one of the most important measures of cancer care. Studies of cancer patient survival are essential for monitoring the effectiveness of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and identifying the prognostic factors of the disease (Dickman and Hakulinen, 2000). The relationship between survival time and stage at diagnosis is considered in many studies (Gakwaya et al., 2008; Lee et al., 2007). Detection at an earlier stage of the disease is the key to improve the life expectancy