Cancer Res Treat.  2012 Mar;44(1):11-24.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2009

• Jung KW
• Park S
• Kong HJ
• Won YJ
• Lee JY
• Seo HG
• Lee JS

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study overviews nationwide cancer statistics, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence, and their trends in Korea based on 2009 cancer incidence data.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Incidence data from 1993-2009 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and vital status was followed through 31 December 2010. Mortality data from 1983-2009 were obtained from Statistics Korea. Crude rates and age-standardized rates for incidence, mortality, and prevalence; and relative survival were calculated.
RESULTS
In total, 192,561 cancer cases and 69,780 cancer deaths were observed during 2009, and 808,503 10-year cancer prevalent cases occurred in Korea as of 1 January 2010. The incidence rate for all cancers combined showed an annual increase of 3.3% from 1999 to 2009.
CONCLUSION
Stomach, liver and cervical cancers have been decreasing and thyroid, breast and colorectal cancers have been increasing at large. In particular, in 2009, colorectal cancer became the third most common cancer in females and for the first time ranked higher than stomach cancer, which had been the long-standing common cancer in Korea. While overall cancer incidence has been rapidly increasing in Korea, age-standardized cancer mortality rates have been declining since 2002, and cancer survival has been improving.

Keyword

Incidence; Mortality; Survival; Prevalence; Neoplasms; Korea

MeSH Terms

Breast
Colorectal Neoplasms
Female
Humans
Incidence
Korea
Liver
Prevalence
Stomach
Stomach Neoplasms
Thyroid Gland

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Annual age-standardized cancer incidence and death rates for all sites by sex during 1983-2009 in Korea. Age standardization was based on the World Health Organization world standard population.

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  Fig. 2 Trends in age-standardized cancer incidence for selected cancers by sex during 1999-2009 in Korea. Age standardization was based on the World Health Organization world standard population. (A) Male. (B) Female.

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  Fig. 3 Age-specific incidence rates for major cancers during 2009 in Korea. (A) Male. (B) Female.

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  Fig. 4 Annual age-standardized cancer mortality for selected cancers by gender during 1983-2009 in Korea. Age standardization was based on the World Health Organization world standard population. (A) Male. (B) Female.

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  Fig. 5 Number of prevalent cases by time since diagnosis for major cancer sites on January 1, 2010 in Korea.

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