An Investigation into the Epidemiological Trend of Breast Cancer in the World, particularly inIran

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cause of death for women between 35 to 55 years of old. Of every one thousand women, one or two women are annually diagnosed to suffer from breast cancer. Indeed, from any four cancer-suffering women, one suffers from breast cancer. In the U.S, one out of nine women has breast cancer. Recent studies show that Iranian women suffer from breast cancer more than from other cancer types. Nearly 5% of breast cancer cases occur genetically and 80% to 90% of them are brought about sporadically. Despite the fact that breast cancer is more common among women of fifty or above, it may occur at any given age. Comparing past and present statistics indicates a relativelyfast rise in the number of this ailment among Iranian women. According to the state statistics, one out of every ten or every fifteen women suffers from breast cancer in Iran, but the age at which breast cancer emerges in Iranian women is the whole one decade earlier than in women of the developed countries. Women at any age are exposed to breast cancer. The average diagnosis age of breast cancer in western countries and Iran is 56 and 45 years, respectively. The epidemiological study of breast cancer shows that 75 percent of breast tumors appear in women of fifty and above and only 5.6 percent in those less than 30. And finally, less than one percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in womenyounger than 25. After thirty years of age, however, women face a sudden rise in their possibility of exposure to breast cancer.Discussion and Conclusion: Breast cancer is one of the most important factors posing threats to women’s physical, mental andsocial health. That is why breast cancer is placed at a focal point drawing attention of most health planners and policy makers. It seems that by 2020, an increase of 26 percent in breast cancer is expected, mainly in developing countries. This suggests that lifestyle and environmental factors may exert a tremendous influence on emergence of breast cancer.

کلیدواژه ها:

epidemiology ، breast ، cancer