Background

Considering the importance of updating information about incidence and mortality of common or fatal cancers and the need for studying the effectiveness of changes in the Iranian cancer registration system from pathological based to population based since 2007, the aim of this study was to provide updated population based information on incidence and mortality rates of esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum cancers in south of Iran , and also to provide basic data for investigating the performance of population based cancer registration system in these regions.

Methods

This study was a review of population based data of esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum cancers in Fars province during 2008-9.We estimated Age Standardized Incidence and Mortality Rates (ASIRs and ASMRs), truncated ASIRs and ASMRs for each cancer using direct age standardization based on Iran's population and also based on the standard population of world.Finally, considering poison distribution, we calculated standard error of incidenceand mortality rates.

Results

Adjusted incidence rates of esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum cancers(per 100,000) and their standard error were 2.56(0.0092), 9.99(0.0182),4.85(0.0127) and 1.56(0.0072) in males; and 1.60(0.0072), 4.66 (0.0123),3.24(0.0103) and 0.93(0.0055) in females respectively. These values for ASMRs per 100000 were 0.94(0.0056), 11.54(0.0195), 2.46(0.009), 0.34(0.0033) for men, and 0.51(0.004), 4.21(0.0117), 1.54(0.0071) and 0.41(0.0037) for women.

Conclusion

Incidence and mortality rates of esophagus cancer in southern regions of Iran were less than the national average. We also clarified that stomach and colorectal cancers were the most important digestive cancers in this area.