The Trend of Cancers Among the Elderly in Guilan: An Emerging Public Health Concern

Abstract

Background: The increase in the elderly population in recent years has led to an increase in age-related diseases, especially cancers. Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Iran after cardiovascular diseases and accidents. Objectives: Epidemiological studies can be a very helpful tool for planning the policies of cancer prevention in the future. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the records of all patients older than 60 years old were gathered from the cancer registry in Guilan province from April 2014 to April 2017. Necessary data such as age, sex, type of cancer, diagnosis methods, and grading of the tumor were extracted. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21). The World Health Organization (WHO) standard population 2000 was used to calculate the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR). Results: A total of 10,624 cases of cancer were reported in the elderly during the study period; 63.1% were men. The age-adjusted standardized incidence of cancers increased from 636.4 per 100,000 people in 2014 to 963.1 per 100,000 people in 2017. The most common cancers were stomach (14.2%), colorectal (11.9%), non-melanoma skin cancer (10.5%), prostate (9.1%), and bladder (8.1%). The most common cancers in men were stomach, prostate, colorectal, bladder, and non-melanoma skin cancers, respectively, while in women, breast, colorectal, stomach, non-melanoma skin cancers, and cervix were the most prevalent ones. Conclusions: This study shows an increasing trend of cancers of old age in both sexes, predominantly in men. Education programs for reducing risk factors and screening for early diagnosis of common cancers are highly recommended.