ABO Antigens Influence Risk of Oral Cancer in Iran

Cancer in its all forms accounts for about 12% of deaths throughout the world (Jaleel and Nagarajappa, 2012).Oral cancer has been estimated to be less than 3% of all cancers, but it is the eighth most common cancer in men and fifteenth most common one in women (Chi, 2009). It is found in 270 000 patients annually worldwide with the incidence of 1 in 20 000; this rises to 1 in 1100 in males of 75 years old and elder (Cawson and Odell, 2002; Amagasa, 2011). The occurrence of oral cancer is high in developing countries, such as Iran, so that two-thirds of the appearing cases are diagnosed in these countries (Fazeli et al., 2011). Oral cancer is the third most common malignancy after the cervix and stomach in developing countries (Fazeli et al., 2011). According to Amagasa, the number of individuals dying from pharyngeal and oral carcinoma is increasing approximately as threefold (Amagasa, 2011). Fazeli in an epidemiological study showed that mortality rate of the Iranian due to oral cancer increased dramatically from 0.09 per 100 000 in 1995 to 0.5 per 100 000 in 2002. However, Iran has a lower mortality rate because of oral cancer in comparison with other Asian countries. For example this