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Background & Objective: In all of world, a portion of household income expends on health care cost. Amount and distribution of the proportion indicate financial burden of health care in the societies. WHO believes that one of the main determinants in health system efficiency is fairness of financial contribution. This study aimed distribution pattern of urban households’ income, health expenditure by cost types and measuring of equality on health care costs in the Gorgan district. Materials & Methods: In order to establish the population laboratory, this cross-sectional study assessed 1014 household in the Gorgan health posts (No 4 and 8) on January 2003. health insurance status, monthly household income and monthly health care cost gathered through interviewing with the husbandmans. Results: Health insurance coverage was 67% in highest and 44% in lowest income deciles (P<0.05). Median and mean of assessed households’ income and household health care cost were 1200000 Rls, (1669669±187300 Rls) and 80000 Rls, (281530±95124 Rls) respectively. Mean of median of out of pocket proportion health care cost per households’ income was 0.57±0.03 and 0.66 respectively. 13% of total income expended health care cost through out of pocket. This proportion in highest and lowest income decile was 7% and 28% (P<0.05). Gini coefficient of health care cost and out of pocket cost per total household income were 0.22 and 0.18 respectively. Conclusion: Low income households expended almost 40% of their income in order to purchasing of health care, in comparison to richest households, they spent 9% of total income. Instead of, additive development of health insurance systems and complementary insurance mechanisms, a half of health care cost in the population spend by out of pocket. According to WHO standards of health system performance, revising health insurance system and payment mechanisms are mandatory.

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Background & Objective: Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer of GI and 2nd most common cause of cancer death in the world. The purpose of this study was to determine epidemiologic aspect and tumor characteristics of colorectal cancer for patients and compare them in young (<50 yr) and older (>50 yr) patients. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study during 3 yr the samples of malignant colorectal cancer presented in Gorgan endoscopy and pathologic centers were collected. Data evaluated by statistically method. Results: There were 101 cases of malignant colorectal cancer. 61 cases were male and 40 cases were female. The mean age was 56±13.65 yr. 13.9% of patients were <40 yr. The type of tumor in 94% was adenocarcinoma, 2.9% lymphoma and 2.9% undifferentiated carcinoma. The site of involvement in 30 cases were rectum and in 71 cases were colon. The most common symptom was abdominal pain, constipation and rectal bleeding. The time interval between onset of symptom to diagnosis of disease in 58 cases was >6 mth. Family history of cancer in 36 cases was positive. Right colon cancer in young patient was significantly more than older (P<0.05). Positive family history of cancer in right colon cancer was significantly more other than. Positive family history of cancer in young patient was more than other (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to this study, colorectal cancer was high. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the symptom of young patient and providing a screening program in patients over 50 years old and young patients with positive family history.