According to GLOCOBAN 2018, pancreatic cancer (PC) is the 11th most common cancer with 458,918 new cases and the 7th cause of cancer-related death with causing 432,242 ones around the world in 2018. The global incidence rate for both sexes increases with age and it is more common in men (ASR: 5.5; 243,033 cases) than in women (ASR:4.0; 215,885 cases). Golestan province, located in Northeast of Iran has a unique position on the Asian belt of upper gastrointestinal cancers. In this study we aimed to report the incidence rate of PC during the 10 years establishment of the Golestan population-based cancer registry.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on data of hepato-pancreato-biliary cancer cases obtained from the Golestan Population-based Based Cancer Registry (GPCR) during 10-years (2004-2013) in Golestan province. Age-Standardized Incidence Rates (ASR) per 100,000 person-year were calculated using CanReg5 software.

During the study period, 291 primary PC cases were registered in the GPCR. One hundred eighty registered cases were male and 111 one were female. The ASR of pancreas cancers in men was 3.1 per 100000 person-year and in women was 1.9. The ASRs of pancreas cancer changed from 1.81 and 1.11 in 2004 to 4.16 and 2.52 in 2013 in male and female, respectively.

Pancreas cancer is more prevalent among men than women. Environmental factors could be considered as the main reasons of different prevalence in sexes. Therefore, more studies needed to clarify the relationships between these factors and PC.