Introduction: Northeastern Iran is known as a high risk area of upper gastrointestinal cancers. Recent reports have suggested a declining trend for these cancers as well as an increase in the incidence of other malignancies including breast cancer. Our present aim was to describe the epidemiological pattern of breast cancer in this region during 2004-2009. Methods: All new cancer cases from public and private diagnostic and therapeutic centers of Golestan province were registered. A structured questionnaire was prepared and used based on the oncology was considered for coding. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) of breast cancer were calculated. Results: A total of 11,038 new cancer cases were registered during 2004-2009, of which, 1,101 (10%) were females with breast cancer. The median age of the breast cancer patients was 46 years. The ASR for breast cancer was 28 per 100,000 person-years. We found an unusual rapid increase in breast cancer rate at the age of 25 years. The value <0.01). Conclusion: Our study showed high rate of breast cancer in Golestan province of Iran. We found an unusual peak of breast cancer in young women. So, the age of starting screening programs may need to be studies are warranted to clarify the role of important determinants, especially regarding the ethnic disparity, on breast cancer in this region.

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine cancer. We aimed to determine the incidence rates of thyroid cancer across a 10-year period (2004-2013) in Golestan, Iran. Methods: We obtained the thyroid cancer data from Golestan Population-Based Cancer Registry (GPCR). Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) were calculated and reported per 100000 person-years. The Joinpoint software was used to assess time trends, and average annual percent changes (AAPCs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Results: Of 326 registered patients, 83 (25.5%) were men and 243 (74.5%) were women. The mean age was 51.3 and 42.6 years for males and females, respectively. Overall, the ASR of thyroid cancer was 2.2 per 100000 person-year (AAPC = 2.76; 95% CI: -3.68 to 9.64). The test of co-incidence showed a statistically significant difference in the incidence of thyroid cancer between men (1.3) and women (3.2) (P < 0.001). According to our results, the ASR of thyroid cancer in western parts of Golestan is higher, including Gorgan and Aliabad cities. Conclusion: Increasing trends in incidence rates of thyroid cancer were found in the Golestan province during the study period, especially in women. We found significantly higher rates of thyroid cancer in women. Geographical diversities were seen in incidence rates of thyroid cancer in the Golestan province. Our results may be helpful for designing further researches to investigate the epidemiological aspects of thyroid cancer in the Golestan province.

Background Surgical site infection (SSI) after colorectal surgery remains a significant problem for its negative clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of SSI after colorectal surgery in 5-Azar hospital of Gorgan, Golestan province, Iran and to further evaluate the related risk factors. Methods A prospective design was applied. Patients in the 5-Azar hospital of Gorgan, Golestan province, Iran was prospectively monitored for SSI after colorectal surgery. The demographic and perioperative characteristics were collected, and the main outcome were SSI within postoperative 30 days. Univariate analyses were used to identify risk factors. Results A total of 240 patients were enrolled in the study and the overall SSI rate was 23.3% (56 patients). Univariate analyses indicated that corticosteroids use (Risk Ratio (RR) = 3, 95% CI: 1.62–5.54), segmental resection with anastomosis (RR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.12–4.63), anemia (RR = 4.52, 95% CI: 3.11–6.59), diabetics (RR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.73–4.14), and opium use (RR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.17–2.99) are risk factors for SSI. Conclusions SSI still seems to be a problem in colon surgery despite the observance of scientific principles. There are some risk factors for SSI that can be prevented.