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Review
. 2024 Dec;27(6):351-361.
doi: 10.4048/jbc.2024.0213. Epub 2024 Oct 31.

Breast Cancer Statistics in Korea, 2021

Chihwan David Cha  1 , Chan Sub Park  2 , Hee-Chul Shin  3 , Jaihong Han  4 , Jung Eun Choi  5 , Joo Heung Kim  6 , Kyu-Won Jung  7 , Sae Byul Lee  8 , Sang Eun Nam  9 , Tae In Yoon  10 , Young-Joon Kang  11 , Zisun Kim  12 , So-Youn Jung  13 , Hyun-Ah Kim  14 ; Korean Breast Cancer Society
Affiliations
Review

Breast Cancer Statistics in Korea, 2021

Chihwan David Cha et al. J Breast Cancer. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

The Korean Breast Cancer Society (KBCS) has collected nationwide registry data on clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment since 1996. This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of breast cancer in Korea and assess changes in breast cancer statistics for 2021 using data from the KBCS registry and the Korean Central Cancer Registry. In 2021, 34,628 women were newly diagnosed with breast cancer. The median age of women diagnosed with breast cancer was 53.4 years, with the highest incidence occurring in the 40-49 age group. The most common molecular subtype was hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, accounting for 69.1% of cases, while HER2-positive subtypes comprised 19.3%. During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the national breast cancer screening rate declined. However, the incidence of early-stage breast cancer (stages 0 and I) continued to increase, accounting for 65.6% of newly diagnosed cases in 2021. Our results showed that the overall survival rate for patients with breast cancer has improved, primarily due to a rise in early-stage diagnoses and advancements in treatment.

Keywords: Breast Neoplasms; COVID-19; Incidence; Republic of Korea; Survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Number of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, Korea.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Crude rate of breast cancer in women, Korea, 2002 to 2021.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Median age of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, Korea.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Age distribution of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, Korea.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Trends in the stage distribution among women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, Korea.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Changes in the surgical patterns of breast cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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