National distribution of stomach cancer incidence in Iran: A population-based study

Backgrounds and Aims: Stomach cancer (SC) is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of death due to cancer in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the provincial distribution as well as age-specific incidence of SC in both genders across Iran. Materials and Methods: This ecological study was conducted according to re-analysis of medical records aggregated to provinces from National Registry of Cancer and Disease Control and Prevention report of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education for SC in 2008. For each province, the average annual age-standardised rate (ASR) for the incidence of SC was calculated. Results: Our findings showed that in Iran, adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified, was the most common histological type of SC in both genders (59% in males and 56% in females), while intestinal type of adenocarcinoma had the lowest prevalence (14% in males and 12% in females). In age groups above 45 years, there was a steady upward trend, and the highest ASR in both genders was related to 80–84 years of age with 292.14 and 112/100,000 in males and females, respectively. Conclusion: The assessment of geographical distribution showed that there is a wide geographical variation in the incidence of SC across the 31 provinces of Iran, and the ASR of SC in South-East and North-West parts of Iran was higher than any other areas. Thus, development access to screening services and carryout of prevention programs should be considered for high-risk groups in these areas