Background: Health disparities exist among and within countries, while developing and low income countriessuffer more. The aim of this study was to quantify cancer disparities with regard to socioeconomic position (SEP)in 22 districts of Tehran, Iran. Method: According to the national cancer registry, 7599 new cancer cases wererecorded within 22 districts of Tehran in 2008. Based on combined data from census and a population-basedhealth equity study (Urban HEART), socioeconomic position (SEP) was calculated for each district. Index ofdisparity, absolute and relative concentration indices (ACI & RCI) were used for measuring disparities in cancerincidence. Results: The overall cancer age standardised rate (ASR) was 117.2 per 100,000 individuals (120.4 formen and 113.5 for women). Maximum ASR in both genders was seen in districts 6, 3, 1 and 2. Breast, colorectal,stomach, skin and prostate were the most common cancers. Districts with higher SEP had higher ASR (r=0.9,p<0.001). Positive ACI and RCI indicated that cancer cases accumulated in districts with high SEP. Femaledisparity was greater than for men in all measures. Breast, colorectal, prostate and bladder ASR ascended acrossSEP groups. Negative ACI and RCI in cervical and skin cancers in women indicate their aggregation in lowerSEP groups. Breast cancer had the highest absolute disparities measure. Conclusion: This report provides anappropriate guide and new evidence on disparities across geographical, demographic and particular SEP groups.Higher ASR in specific districts warrants further research to investigate the background predisposing factors.
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