Prevalence of Breast Cancer in a Defined Population of Iran

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of breast cancer in Asian developing countries is much lower than western developed countries. The main aim of this study was to measure breast cancer prevalence in a defined population of Iran. METHODS: A total of 25201 women who were under coverage of “Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (IKRF)”, which is an organization for delivering supportive social and cultural services to the deprived and poor subgroups of the society, were involved in the study. The study was conducted during years 2007 and 2008. All subjects were interviewed for their socio-demographic features and underwent precise clinical and para-clinical breast examination. RESULTS: Mean age was 47 years with standard deviation 10 ranging from 11 to 88 years. Subjects were from deprived subgroups of the community; were mainly illiterate or had primary school education (86%) and majority of them (93%) had their first full-term pregnancy at age less than 26 years and also were multiparous. With confirmed diagnosis by breast biopsy, breast cancer prevalence was 0.15% (95%CI; 0.10-0.20). CONCLUSION: Compared with developed countries, Asian developing countries have been at a lower risk of breast cancer development. It is seen that more deprived subgroups are at much lower risk. The more industrialized life is accompanied with more hazards.