A.H Zeinalzadeh - Assistant Professor of Community Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
A Kosha - Associate Professor of Infectious diseases, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
L Abdolahi - Graduate of Medical Records, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
M Naghizadeh - General Practitioner, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
J Javaheri - Community Medicine Specialist, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran

Background & Aims: Cancer is a major public health problem in many countries of the world and the third leading cause of death in developing countries. The most frequently diagnosed cancers in females and males are breast and lung cancers respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of age distribution and the frequency of different cancers in East Azerbaijan province during the year ۲۰۰۹. Methods: This descriptive analytic study was performed by community based method on ۵۴۵۵ new cancer cases obtained from cancer registries in East Azerbaijan province in ۲۰۰۹. Characteristics of all registered cancers (including age, sex, and etc) were collected in a form. Then data were summarized and coded using the International Classification of Disease (ICD). Data were analyzed by SPSS software. The ۹۵% confidence interval of the study Variables were calculated using Excel software. Results: Among ۵۴۵۵ cases, ۳۱۸۹ ones (۵۸.۵%) were males and ۲۲۵۶ ones (۴۱.۴%) were females. Mean age of cancer incidence was ۵۷.۳ ± ۱۸.۵ years. About ۴۷.۸% of malignancies occurred in ages over ۶۰ years and ۵۲.۲% below ۶۰ years. Among men, ۵۷.۸% of all cancers occurred in the age group of ۶۰-۷۰ years but in women ۵۳.۵% of them occurred in the age group of ۵۰-۶۰ years. Mean age at diagnosis was significantly higher (P<۰.۰۰۱) among males (۶۰ years, ۹۵%CI: ۵۹.۷-۶۰.۹) than females (۵۳ years, ۹۵% CI: ۵۲.۲-۵۳.۸). The ۱۰ most common cancers among males and females were stomach (۱۵.۵%) and breast (۲۰.۹%) cancers respectively. Conclusion: More than half of all registerd cancers in the province were in the age group of above ۶۰ years. Stomach and breast cancers are the most common malignancies of this region and occur most frequently during the ۷th and ۵th decades of life respectively. Comprehensive and complementary studies for recognizing relevant factors are among the priorities of health system research in this province.

Neoplasms, Epidemiology, Age Distribution, East Azerbijan