Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2021

Abstract

Purpose: The current study provides national cancer statistics and their secular trends in Korea, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2021.

Materials and methods: Incidence, survival, and prevalence rates of cancer were calculated using the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, from 1999 to 2021, with survival follow-up until December 31, 2022. Deaths from cancer were assessed using causes-of-death data obtained from Statistics Korea.

Results: The number of new cancer diagnoses in 2021 increased by 27,002 cases (10.8%) compared to 2020. In 2021, newly diagnosed cancer cases and deaths from cancer were reported as 277,523 (age-standardized rate [ASR], 289.3 per 100,000) and 82,688 (ASR, 67.6 per 100,000), respectively. The overall cancer incidence rates increased by 3.3% annually from 1999 to 2012, and decreased by 5.3% from 2012 to 2015, thereafter, followed by non-significant changes. Cancer mortality rates have been decreasing since 2002, with more rapid decline in recent years (annual decrease of 2.8% from 2002 to 2013; 3.2% from 2013 to 2021). The 5-year relative survival between 2017 and 2021 was 72.1%, which contributed to prevalent cases reaching over 2.4 million in 2021.

Conclusion: In 2021, the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients increased as healthcare utilization recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019-related declines of 2020. Revised cancer registration guidelines expanded the registration scope, particularly for stomach and colorectal cancer. Survival rates have improved over the years, leading to a growing population of cancer survivors, necessitating a comprehensive cancer control strategy. The long-term impact of the pandemic on cancer statistics requires future investigation.

Keywords: Incidence; Korea; Mortality; Neoplasms; Prevalence; Survival.

Fig. 1.

The five common sites of cancer incidence by age group and sex in Korea, 2021. (A) Men. (B) Women. Numbers in the graph are age-specific incidence rates per 100,000. CNS, central nervous system.

Fig. 2.

Age-specific incidence rates of common cancers for 2021 in Korea. (A) Men. (B) Women.

Fig. 3.

Annual age-standardized cancer incidence and mortality rates by sex for all sites from 1983 to 2021 in Korea. Age standardization was based on Segi’s world standard population.

Fig. 4.

Trends in age-standardized incidences of selected cancers by sex from 1999 to 2021 in Korea. (A) Men. (B) Women. Age standardization was based on Segi’s world standard population.

Fig. 5.

Trends in age-standardized mortalities of selected cancers by sex from 1983 to 2021 in Korea. (A) Men. (B) Women. Age standardization was based on Segi’s world standard population.

Fig. 6.

Five-year relative survival rates by stage at diagnosis and stage distribution of selected cancers by sex in Korea, 2017-2021. (A) Men. (B) Women. Staging according to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) stage categories. For each cancer type, stage categories do not total 100% because sufficient information was not available to stage all cases. a)Includes the gallbladder and other/unspecified parts of the biliary tract.

Fig. 7.

Prevalent cases of common cancers by time since cancer diagnosis. Prevalent cases were defined as the number of cancer patients alive on January 1, 2022 among all cancer patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2021.