title: Epidemiology and Inequality in the Incidence and Mortality of Nasopharynx Cancer in Asia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One of the most common head and neck cancers is nasopharynx cancer. Knowledge about the incidence and mortality of this disease and its distribution in terms of geographical areas is necessary for further study and better planning. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the incidence and mortality rates of nasopharynx cancer and its relationship with the Human Development Index (HDI) in Asia in 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this ecologic study was to assess the correlation between age-specific incidence rate (ASIR) and age-specific mortality rate (ASMR) with HDI and its components, which include the following: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. Data about SIR and SMR for every Asian country for 2012 were obtained from the global cancer project. We used the correlation bivariate method for the assessment. Statistical significance was assumed ifp< 0.05. All reportedpvalues are two-sided. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 15.0, SPSS Inc.).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 68,272 cases (males, 71.02%; females, 28.97%; sex ratio, 2.45) and 40,530 mortalities (males, 71.63%; females, 28.36%; sex ratio, 2.52) were recorded in Asian countries in 2012. The five countries with the highest ASIR of nasopharynx cancer were Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brunei, and the five countries with the highest ASMR were Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. The correlation between HDI and ASIR was 0.097 (p= 0.520) [0.105 in men (p= 0.488) and 0.119 in women (p= 0.901)]. The correlation between HDI and ASMR was -0.102 (p= 0.502) [-0.072 in men (p= 0.633) and -0.224 in women (p= 0.134)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nasopharynx cancer is native to Southeast Asia. The highest incidence and mortality rates are found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brunei. No significant relation was found between the standardized incidence and mortality rates of nasopharynx cancer and the HDI components. Further studies are recommended in Southeast Asian countries in order to find the etiology of cancer, as well as its diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Research Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mahdavifar
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahshid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghoncheh
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohammadian-Hafshejani
authors.affiliation: Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.affiliation: Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salehiniya
keywords: Asia; HDI; epidemiology; incidence; mortality; nasopharynx cancer