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Review
. 2018 May;54(2):90-100.
doi: 10.4068/cmj.2018.54.2.90. Epub 2018 May 25.

Updates on Cancer Epidemiology in Korea, 2018

Sun-Seog Kweon  1
Affiliations
Review

Updates on Cancer Epidemiology in Korea, 2018

Sun-Seog Kweon. Chonnam Med J. 2018 May.

Abstract

Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and the most common cause of death in Korea. There are currently approximately 200,000 incident cancer cases and 78,000 individuals die from cancer every year. The factors directly related to cancer incidence, including aging, smoking, obesity, and Westernized dietary habits, have been increasing during the past several decades. Since 1999, trends toward increased incidence have been observed for thyroid, breast (in women), colorectal, and prostate cancer. Currently, these trends have changed direction, and the incidence of stomach and liver cancer in both sexes, and cervical cancer in women have continually declined. Although the number of cancer deaths increased by a factor of 2.7 from 1983 to 2016, the age-standardized mortality associated with cancer has been decreasing by 3% every year. The 5-year relative survival rate (RSR) has also improved over the past several decades, especially for stomach, prostate, and breast cancer, which had 5-year RSRs greater than 90% in the most recent report.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Neoplasms; Republic of Korea.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: None declared.

Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1. Trends of age-standardized cancer incidence rate in Korea (1999–2015).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2. 5-year relative survival rates between 2011 and 2015 by primary sites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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