Research in Medicine

Background : Cancer is the second most common cause of death in developed countries. The incidence of the different histological types of cancer varies greatly between different populations and it is attributed to occupational, social, cultural, racial, (possibly hereditary), and geographic influences. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of age distribution and the frequency of different cancers, registered in different diagnostic centers in Babol during the year 2001.

Materials and methods : In a cross–sectional study, characteristics of all registered malignancies were obtained from special records in different diagnostic centers in Babol using the International Classification of Disease (ICD). The data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results : Among 632 cases, 57.9% were males and 42.1% were females. 53.3% of malignancies occurred after 60 years old and 46.7% before 60 years. The mean age at diagnosis was significantly higher among males (59 years) than females (51 years), (p<0.001). The 10 most common malignancies among males were: stomach (24.9%), skin (10.7%), esophagus (10.1%), urinary bladder (8.2%), prostate (6.6%), colon and rectum (6.6%), hematopoietic system (4.9%), lymphatic system (4.6%), testes (3.8%) and connective tissue (2.7%). Meanwhile, the 10 most common malignancies among females were: breast (21.4%), stomach (12.4%), esophagus (12%), colon and rectum (9%), hematopoietic system (7.9%), skin (7.5%), lymphatic system (3.8%), cervix (3%), ovary (2.6%) and thyroid gland (1.5%).

Conclusions : With increasing age, the frequency of different cancers increases and our results indicate that more than half of the cases are 60 years or above. Stomach cancer is the most common malignancy of this region and occurs most frequently during 7^th and 8^th decades of life. The most common malignancy among females is breast cancer and occurs most frequently during the 4^th-6^th decades of life.