title: Increased trend of breast cancer mortality in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide In Iran, it ranks first among cancers diagnosed in women and is the fifth most common cause of death. The aim of this study was to present the mortality trends from breast cancer for Iranian women during a period of almost a decade, in order to provide update information regarding the likely future.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed National death Statistic reported by the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education from 1995 to 2004 to generate annual mortality rates/100,000, overall, by age group (<15, 15-49 and ≥ 50 years of age) and age standardized rate (ASR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age standardized mortality rate of breast cancer increased dramatically during these years from 1.40 to 3.52 per 100,000 and its mortality was increasing 151.4% for Iranian women, although it seemed that the rate leveled off from 2002 to 2004. Moreover the increasing rate was higher for those aged between 15-49 compared to age > 50 years old.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an increasing trend for breast cancer mortality in Iran. Thus, health education programs to rectify the lack of women awareness about breast cancer signs and effective screening are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Afsoon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taghavi
authors.forename: Zeinab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fazeli
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahedi
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Baghestani
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pourhoseingholi
authors.forename: Farnoosh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barzegar
authors.forename: Mohamad Amin
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pourhoseingholi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult