Estimation of Esophageal Cancer Incidence in Tehran by Loglinear Method using Population-based Cancer Registry Data

Background: Having knowledge or estimation of cancer incidence is necessary for planning and implementationof any cancer prevention and control programs. Population-based registries provide valuable information toachieve these objectives but require extra techniques to estimate the incidence rate. The present study aimed toestimate the esophageal cancer incidence using a log-linear method based on Tehran population-based cancerregistry data. Materials and
Methods: New cases of esophageal cancer reported by three sources of pathologyreports, medical records, and death certificates to Tehran Metropolitan Area Cancer Registry Center during2002-2006 were entered into the study and the incidence rate was estimated based on log-linear models. We usedAkaike statistics to select the best-fit model.
Results: During 2002-2006, 1,458 new cases of esophageal cancerwere reported by the mentioned sources to the population-based cancer registry. Based on the reported cases,cancer incidence was 4.5 per 100,000 population and this was estimated to be 10.5 per 100,000 by the log-linearmethod.
Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that an estimated incidence for 2004 of8.3 per 100,000 population could be a good benchmark for the incidence of esophageal cancer in the populationof Tehran metropolis.