Cancer Incidence Rate in the Elderly Inhabitants of Tehran: Is there Really any Cluster?

Abstract

Background: The number of new cancer cases in the elderly is growing because of the aging population. Methods: Cancer data of the elderly (65 years and older) were collected from Iran cancer registry in 2007. Local Moran’s I was used as a measure of spatial analysis to identify the cluster patterns. Results: The overall cancer incidence rates were 862.4 and 474.8 per 100,000 in men and women, respectively. Prostate cancer and breast cancer were the most common types of cancer in men and women, correspondingly. Using the Local Moran’s I tool, we identified more spatial clusters among men than women. Districts 1, 2, 3 and 6 in the north of Tehran were hot spots for prostate cancer and district 16 in the south of Tehran was the cool spot for this type of cancer, and districts 1 and 3 were the hot spots for breast cancer. Conclusions: More cancer hot spots were located in the north of Tehran where districts are more privileged, and more cool spots were located in the south of the city where districts are more underprivileged.