Background &Objectives: According to a recent report published by the Ministry of Health in Iran gastric cancer is the most common cause of death due to cancer in this country and cardiac cancer is the most common kind of upper GI cancer. This study is an attempt to determine the epidemiology of cardiac cancers in Ardabil.

  Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted for four years (2000-2003) at the only private clinic in Ardabil. The results of endoscopy of these patients including the exact determination of the topography of cancer in cardia and other general information were recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version-10)

  Results: During this study 4356 endoscopy were done and 533 histologically proven upper GI cancer were detected. Out of 533, 242 cases were located at E-G junction area, 82(33.9%), 130 (53.7%) in cardia region and 30(12/4%) cases were located at the proximal bady of stomach. 130(53.7%) cases of tumors were, in the right side of cardia. Bormann classification showed that most of cancers (43.8%) were ulceroinfiltrative.

  Conclusion: Statistical analysis indicated that there is a significant relationship between type and topography of cancer with dysphasia, weight loss and epigasteric pain(p<0.05). The results showed significiant relationship between type and topography of cacers with Bormann classification(p=0.001). Further epidemiologic studies are required to evaluate etiology of cardia cancers in Ardabil.