Cancer in Iran. A Survey of the Most Common Cases

Statistics on cancer in Iran were collected from the Pathology Department of the Medical School, the Pathological Laboratory of the Cancer Institute of Tehran, and from patients referred by private physicians to private laboratories. Complete information is not available because a cancer control program and methods for collection of accurate information are just being developed. From 10,000 cancer cases it was determined that the most frequent types were: cancer of the skin (21.6%), cancer of the cervix uteri (9.9%), primary cancer of the lymphatic organs (8.5%), cancer of the breast (6.3%), and cancer of the respiratory tract (7.5%). Various conditions that may promote the development of cancer, such as exposure to sun, contamination of air, background, hygiene, and frequency of childbirth, are discussed.