Prevalence of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Mazandaran, Iran 2016-18

Background and purpose: Cancer is highly prevalent in modern societies and approximately one in three or four people is diagnosed with cancer. Oral cancer is one of the 10 primary causes of mortality due to late detection for many reasons, including being asymptomatic in initial stages, clinical presentation similar to other lesions, and variation in clinical manifestations. This study aimed at investigating the two-year prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in Mazandaran province, north of Iran 2016-18. Materials and methods: In this qualitative sociological study, all 4532 records available in the head and neck malignancy center in Mazandaran province were reviewed and 88 records of SCC were extracted. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the frequency and frequency percentage. Data analysis was done in SPSS V16 applying Chi-square test.  Results: Patients with SCC were found to be 57 males (65%) and 31 females (35%). Head and face were the highest prevalence sites for this malignancy (82.3%) followed by the neck (12.7%). There was a significant relationship between the patients’ age and the prevalence of SCC (P= 0.40). Conclusion: The prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma in this study was higher than that reported in similar studies.