Recent Trends of Lung Cancer in Korea

Abstract

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Korea. Although the smoking rate has decreased over time, the prevalence of lung cancer still remains high. In this study, we reviewed recent trends on the incidence, epidemiology, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer in Korea by analyzing data from the national lung cancer registry and recently-published studies. Although approximately 40% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were diagnosed as stage IV, the 5-year relative survival rate improved from 11.3% (1993-1995) to 30.2% (2013-2017), possibly due to advances in methods of diagnosis and therapy. In addition, the 2019 implementation of the national lung cancer screening program with low-dose computed tomography may have also contributed to these improvements in survival rates. Recently, molecular diagnosis has become more widely used in the identification of genetic mutations in tissue specimens. Target therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors have also been successfully used, particularly in cases of advanced NSCLC. In the future, further research on the optimal management of lung cancer remains necessary.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Korea; Lung Neoplasms; Screening; Treatment.

Fig. 1.

Trends in crude incidence rates and age-standardized lung cancer incidence rates per 100,000 in the Korean population: overall (A), men (B), and women (C).

Fig. 2.

Trend in percent change in histological subtypes of lung cancer in Korea: overall (A), men (B), and women (C).

Fig. 3.

Distribution of clinical staging of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients at initial diagnosis.

Fig. 4.

Trend in 5-year relative survival rate of lung cancer in Korea.

Fig. 5.

Current treatment of initially diagnosed with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Korea. CCRT: concurrent chemoradiation therapy.