Low Incidence of Colorectal Cancer in Kerman Province, Iran

Background: In Iran colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence varies among various places. But we do not have any validate data that deeply explored the difference of CRC in Kerman province by national average. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of colon cancer within a 12-year period in Kerman province and to find whether the incidence of CRC in Kerman compared with the total incidence found in Iran. Methods: Data on colorectal cancer was collected from all histopathology departments around the Kerman Province during 1991 – 2002 retrospectively. The crude and age-standardized incidence rates per 1 million populations were calculated based on the 1996 census data and the population growth rate. Results: During this study total number of 551 new cases of colorectal cancer in Kerman province had been diagnosed. Age Standardized Rate of colon cancer in males and females were 50 (95% CI: 44-56) and 53 (95% CI: 46-59) cases per 1,000,000 population per year, respectively. The risk ratio in females relative to males was not significant in any type of colon cancer. We did not find any difference for each year during the entire study period. Conclusion: The ASR of colorectal cancer in Kerman province was quite lower than the average rate in the whole country. This study showed that, the risk of acquiring colon cancer was constant. We concluded that the risk of colorectal cancer in Kerman province was much lower than the entire country.