The Incidence of Breast Cancer in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background : Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer among women globally. Its incidence greatly varies around the world the globe. There are several estimates of breast cancer incidence from different geographical areas in Iran. In addition, no systematic reviews are available pertaining to the incidence rate of breast cancer in Iran. Therefore, the present systematic review aimed to address this epidemiological gap. Method : This systematic review was carried out based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) in January 2016. In doing so, the researchers searched Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Sciencedirect, and Google scholar for international papers and four Iranian databases (Scientific Information Database, MagIran, Iran Medex, and Iran Doc) for Persian articles. Result : A total of 427 titles were retrieved in the initial search of the databases. Further refinement and screening of the retrieved studies produced a total of 18 researches. Based on the random effect model, the Age-Standardized Rate (ASR) of breast cancer was 26.4, 95% CI (20.1 to 31.7). However, the results of Cochran’s test showed the heterogeneity of the studies (Q=1788.2, df=17, I 2 =99%, p<0.001). Conclusion : The incidence of breast cancer was lower in Iran compared to other parts of the world. However, establishing cancer registries covering a broader perspective of the population and carrying out further studies are needed to map out the exact incidence rate and trend of breast cancer in Iran.