A Review of the Incidence of Colorectal Cancer in the Middle East

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for about 10% of cancers and is the third most prevalent cancer worldwide. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. The objective of the current study was to investigate the incidence of CRC East by reviewing reports on number and age standardized incidences of CRC in both genders in different areas of the Middle East. Methods: All the published reports citing the incidence of CRC in the Middle East were collected by conducting a literature search using Pubmed. Data was extracted from the included articles, and summarized in tables and charts, according to “country of origin”, “gender”, and “ASR”. Data presented by GLOBOCAN on the incidence/prevalence and mortality rates of CRC are also showed in separate charts and tables. Results: This research identified 194 articles, through the Pubmed search. After removing duplicate and triplicate publications, 96 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 78 were excluded. According to data from Reviewed articles, the highest and the lowest ASR for colorectal cancer were respectively 48.3 (European-American Jews) and 4.2 (Shiraz, south Iran) in males and 35 (European-American Jews) and 2.72 (Shiraz, south Iran) in females (1, 2). According to GLOBOCAN, the highest ASR was 35 (Israel) and the lowest was 4.48 (Yemen) in both genders. Except for Jews, the mean age of patients was 53 to 54.9. Conclusions: Although Middle East is generally a low risk region for CRC, the incidence rate of CRC is more in western regions, including countries located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, compared to eastern and southern regions. Moreover, males and females are at risk at younger ages compared to western countries.