An Epidemiologic Study of Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Gastric Cancer in Ardabil (Years 2006- 2012)

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in most developed countries. The incidence of various types of cancer varies among different populations and associates with different factors including occupational, social, cultural and racial (possibly hereditary), tropical and geographical factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial and temporal pattern of gastric cancer in Ardabil province from 2006 to 2012. This descriptive study was done in the tome period of 2006-2012. The number of reported patients with gastric cancer in Ardabil province was 1845. Data on age, sex and place of living were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Of 1845 gastric cancer cases in Ardabil province, 1287 cases (70%) were male and 558 (30%) were female. In terms of the cities, Ardabil, Meshkinshahr, Khalkhal, Germi, Parsabad, Namin, Bilesuar, Kosar, and Nir accounted for 54, 13, 8, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2, and 1% of the cancer cases. From the total patients with gastric cancer in Ardabil province, 67% was in the age group of 55 -79 years. Gastric cancer in Ardabil province showed an increasing trend from 2006 to 2012. The results of this study indicate that the likelihood of gastric cancer in men is 2.33 times higher than that of women. Spatial and temporal trends of gastric cancer in Ardabil province cities indicate necessity for paying more attention and studying community for further prevention of the disease.