Geographic distribution of important cancers in Iran

Introduction: Each year, 10 million people are faced with cancer and about 6 million of them die throughout the world. This study aimed at investigating the geographical distribution of cancer and its environmental risk factors in Iran. Methods: The present study was mapping the available data collected from the reports of Iranian Center for Disease Control (Cancer Bureau) regarding the frequency of 10 common cancers (stomach, esophageal, colorectal, bladder, lung, CNS, lymphoma, prostate, ovarian, and breast) as their age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) for each province in between 2005 and 2006 using ArcGIS 9.3. The published information about environmental risk factors was also gathered based on reviewing available public sources of digital databases including Scopus, Pubmed and Persian sources of IranMedex, Iran DOC, SID, and magiran, as well as through hand searching of books and manuals using keywords. Results: Geographically, the incidence of certain cancers varied in different regions of Iran. Between 2005 and 2006, the estimated ASR of cancers was 102.4 and 117.3 per 100,000 among females and males, respectively. The ASR of cancer was higher in the north than in the south of Iran. This difference is possibly due to the methods of registry and difference in the site. Lifestyle, infectious agents, environmental exposures, and constitutional factors are risk factors that have been attributed to certain types of cancer. Conclusion: Development, establishment, and implementation of Comprehensive National Cancer Control Program should be the first priority for health policy-makers. Given its nationwide distribution, Iranian Army can provide substantial assistance in collection and analysis of data on cancer in case of access to a record and control system of cancer.