Incidence of Genitourinary Cancers in the Islamic Republic of Iran: A Survey in 2005

We here report the incidence of different types of genitourinary cancers among the Iranian populationaccording to the records of the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education. In a population-based cancerregistrystudy in 2005, all recorded data in pathology laboratories, freestanding cancer clinics and treatmentcenters, physician offices, and other state central registries were obtained with the assistanceof Iran Universitiesof Medical Sciences and sent to the Diseases Management Center in the Health Ministry. The prevalences ofurological cancers were as follows: bladder cancer 48.3%; prostate cancer 33.4%; renal cell carcinoma 10.3%;renal pelvis and ureter cancer 0.75%; testicular cancer 6.15%; penile cancer 0.15%; urethral cancer 0.45%;and other unspecified urinary cancers 0.43%. The male to female ratios for the various common urologicalcancers varied between 1.69 (renal cell carcinoma) and 7.75 (unspecified urinary cancers). The incidence ofprostate cancer among our population was dramatically higher than in other countries of Asia. However, bladdercancer was found to be the commonest of the genitourinary cancers, especially in elderly patients, among ourpopulation.