Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of oncological death for women, in both developed and developing countries. In Iran, breast cancer ranks first among cancers diagnosed in women. The aim of this study was to present the burden of this cancer including incidence, mortality and years life lost (YLL) due to breast cancer in Iranian women. Materials and Methods: National incidence data from the Iranian annual National Cancer Registration reports from 2003 to 2009 and national death statistics reported by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education from 1995 to 2010, stratified by age group, were included in this analysis. Also calculated YLLs provided by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 were employed to express the years lost due to BC for Iranian women. Results:The general mortality rate of breast cancer increased during these years from 0.96 to 4.33 per 100,000 and incidence increased from 16.0 to 28.3 per 100,000 for the years under study. YLLs calculated by IHME showed both increasing and decreasing patterns, with a tendency for stabilization. Conclusions: The burden of breast cancer for Iranian women is still increasing. Thus, health education programs to inform women regarding the signs and risk factors, and national screening to facilitate early diagnosis are needed for the female community in Iran.

Background: Ovarian cancer is an important cause of mortality in women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and mortality rates and trends in the Iranian population and make predictions. The general mortality rate of ovarian cancer slightly increased during the years under study from 0.01 to 0.75 and reaching plateau according to the prediction model. Mortality was higher for older age. The incidence also increased during the period of the study. Conclusions: Our study indicated remarkable increasing trends in ovarian cancer mortality and incidence. Therefore, attention to high risk groups and setting awareness programs for women are needed to reduce the associated burden in the future.