Four years Incidence Rate of Colorectal Cancer in Iran: A Survey of National Cancer Registry Data - Implications for Screening

Introduction: Design and implementation of screening programs in each country must be based onepidemiological data. Despite the relatively high incidence of CRC, there is no nationwide comprehensive programfor screening in Iran. This study was designed to investigate national CRC data and help to determine guidelinesfor screening.
Methods: Incidence data used in this study were obtained from Iranian annual of National CancerRegistration report. Age standardized rates (ASR)were calculated using world standard population and werecategorized by age, sex, anatomic subsite and morphology of tumor. Data were analyzed using SPSS.V.13 andOpen Source Epidemiologic Statistics for Public Health software (OpenEpi v.2.3.1).
Results: A quarter of caseswere less than 50 years of age. The majority of tumors were detected in the colon. The overall ASR in the fouryears period was 38.0 per 100000 and was higher for men compared women (P<0.05). Incidence rate of colorectalcancer increased with age.
Conclusion: Results of present study indicated that incidence of colorectal canceris relatively high in Iran. Incidence of CRC in people under 50 years and in rectum were reported higher thanother countries that related etiologic factors should be investigate in further studies. According to the increasingof ASR after age 50 years, it seems that onset of screening at age 50 would be appropriate.