Cancer cases surge among younger Iranians

The annually updated charts and graphs of cancer statistics in Iran indicate a serious surge in the malignancy of the new cases in the country, Press TV reported.

With the growing diagnosis of cancer cases among the youth, oncologists express concerns over the harmful effects it may bear on the society at-large.

Lung cancer, leukemia, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer are among the common types of the cases in Iran. The spread of such malignancy among the 18- to 25-year-old people of the country have drawn the special attention of health officials to the matter.

"Among all types of cancer, stomach cancer has spread the fastest to become most commonly diagnosed cancer case in the country," said the head of the Cancer Institute of Iran, Abdollah Fazlalizadeh.

"Oncologists believe drug consumption, genetic disorders and people's eating habits are the main factors behind the deadly malady," Fazlalizadeh noted.

He believes that the money spent on cancer treatment should have been spent on preventing cancer. "Prevention and screening are among the main measures that must be adopted to control cancer."

"Skin cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among Iranian women, with breast cancer taking the second place," said the Iranian oncologist Mohammad-Reza Mir.

"The young-age range of women that report cancer has turned into a worrying issue for the country. The average age range of getting cancer among Iranian women is 40, which is 5 to 10 years younger than the rest of the world," he added.