UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER IN ARDABIL, NORTH-WEST OF IRAN: A REVIEW

Cancer is a serious health problem worldwide, imposing a large economical and psychological burden as well as loss of life and productivity. Lots of effort and money have been put in the fields of clinical, epidemiological, pharmacological, and biological research on cancer in the recent decades. Although we have witnessed dramatic progress in the field, but still there is a long way to go. Cancer is the third most common cause of death in Iran, accounting for 14% of the total death toll. It stands just after cardiovascular events and accidents (46% and 17% of the total death toll respectively, Table 1) according to the latest census of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (IMHME). Overall, gastrointestinal (GI) cancers cause about half of all cancer deaths in Iran. Of the 17,450 GI cancers recorded in the IMHME report, 7,560 (43.3%) were gastric cancers. In other words, of every 100 people dying of cancer in Iran, 22 die of gastric cancer, and six from esophageal cancer.