Very few studies have been conducted in Israel on the prevalence of cancer or cancer mortality in the population of persons with intellectual disability (ID). Methods: The data for this study were obtained from the Office of the Medical Director (OMD), Division for Mental Retardation (DMR), Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services. Each case of death in residential centers is reported to the OMD, who since 1991 has registered place of residence, date of birth, age at death, sex, ethnic background, level of ID, cause of death, autopsy and review committee, if established in a data register. The data concerned with cancer mortality were extracted from the mortality register for 1991-2005. Results: For 1991-1999, 43 cases or 7.2% of the total 600 cases of death were due to cancer, with brain and lung cancer the most frequent sites. For 2000-2005, 31 out of total 507 cases of death were due to cancer, with rectal cancer the most frequent site. The calculated mortality rate for cancer in this population in 2005 was 59.3 per 100,000. Conclusions: Our study is limited due to the little data we have, but from the trends over this period, we observed a 7% incidence of cancer deaths in this population. The mortality rate was lower than observed in the general Israeli and United States population. Screening programs and more detailed data collection will aid in the establishment of preventive measures for the future.
