title: Epidemiology of leukemia and multiple myeloma in Golestan, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this paper was to present the incidence rates of leukemia and multiple myeloma (MM) in Golestan province located in northeastern Iran during 2004-2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data on newly diagnosed (incident) leukemia and MM cases were obtained from collected from Golestan population-based cancer registry. Data was entered into CanReg-4 software. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) (per 100000 person-years) for leukemia and MM were calculated. Data on Golestan population was obtained from the data of Iranian national census in 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally, 11036 new cancer cases were registered in GPRC from 2004-2009. Leukemia and MM accounted for 693 and 124 of cases, respectively. The mean age in patients with leukemia and MM was 43.8 and 62.4 years, respectively. The ASRs for leukemia among men and women were 10.4 and 7.8, respectively (p<0.001). The ASRs for MM were 2.1 and 2 in men and women, respectively (p=0.93). The rate of leukemia was significantly higher in rural areas (p=0.02) whereas the incidence of MM was higher in urban areas (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed a high incidence rate of leukemia in Golestan province of Iran. The incidence of leukemia was significantly higher in males and residents of rural areas. High exposure to pesticides and other agricultural related products may be a possible explanation for epidemiological pattern of leukemia in this area. Determining and controlling important risk factors, especially environmental factors, of leukemia may lead to decrease in its burden in Golestan province of Iran.
authors.affiliation: Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Niloofar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajabli
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naeimi-Tabeie
authors.forename: Ataollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jahangirrad
authors.forename: Seyed-Mehdi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sedaghat
authors.forename: Shahryar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Semnani
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roshandel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries; D055815:Young Adult