title: Epidemiology of Nasopharyngeal Cancers in Iran: A 6-year Report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nasopharyngeal cancer is a disease with distinct ethnic and geographical distribution. The aim of this review was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of nasopharyngeal cancer in Iran from 2004 to 2009 because no systematic study has been performed to evaluate the trends of its incidence yet.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were derived from the databases of the National Cancer Data System Registry in the period of 2004-2009. Nasopharyngeal cancers were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology. Incidence rates and trends were calculated and evaluated by gender, age decade, and histopathology types.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,637 nasopharyngeal cancers were registered in Iran from 2004 to 2009 giving an incidence of 0.38 per 100,000. The male-to-female ratio was 2.08:1. The trend of incidence was found to have increased, with a significant increase observed in males. Undifferentiated carcinoma was the most common histopathology type in all the age decades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because the incidence of nasopharyngeal cancers in Iran has increased, especially in males, further studies are recommended for understanding of the etiological factors involved in the rise of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Tracheal Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Tracheal Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Irn E-mail : nasim_raad@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Safavi
authors.forename: Nasim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raad
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raad
authors.forename: Jahangir
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ghorbani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult