Cancer Res Treat.  2023 Apr;55(2):408-418. 10.4143/crt.2022.126.

Trends and Patterns of Cancer Burdens by Region and Income Level in Korea: A National Representative Big Data Analysis

• Jung YS
• Yoon SJ

• KMID: 2541228
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2022.126

Abstract

Purpose
This study aimed to elucidate the trends and characteristics of the cancer burden in Korea by cancer site, region, and income level.
Materials and Methods
Korean National Burden of Disease research methodology was applied to measure the cancer burden in Korea from 2008 to 2018. The cause of death and national health insurance claims data were obtained from Statistics Korea and the National Health Insurance Service, respectively. An incidence-based approach was applied to calculate the disability-adjusted life-years, which is a summary measure of population health.
Results
In the past decade, the cancer burden in Korea increased from 2,088 to 2,457 person-years per 100,000 population. Among the cancer burden, the years of life lost decreased, and the years lived with disabilities increased. Cancers of the trachea, bronchus, and lung had the highest disease burden, followed by those of the stomach, colon and rectum, liver, and breast.
Conclusion
The findings of this study can provide valuable quantitative data for prioritizing and evaluating cancer prevention strategies and implementing cancer policies. Estimating the difference in cancer burden according to region and income level within a country can yield useful data to understand the nature of the cancer burden and scale of the problem. In addition, the results of this study provide a better understanding of the causes of cancer patterns, thereby generating new hypotheses regarding its pathogenesis.

Keyword

Cancer burden; Disability-adjusted life-years; Korea

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Trend of burden of cancer in Korea, from 2008 to 2018. DALY, disability-adjusted life year; YLD, year lived with disability; YLL, year of life lost.

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  Fig. 2 DALYs by cancer site in Korea, 2018. DALY, disability-adjusted life year; YLD, year lived with disability; YLL, year of life lost.

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  Fig. 3 Cancer rankings by DALYs in 2018 and percentage change from 2008 to 2018 (unit: DALY rate per 100,000 population). Cancers are ordered by rank in 2018 and are linked to their ranking in 2008. Color refers to the change in DALY rate from 2008 to 2018: red signifies an increase of more than 60%, gray signifies an increase of less than 60%, and blue signifies a decrease. DALY, disability-adjusted life year; YLD, year lived with disability; YLL, year of life lost. Rankings are by DALY rate.

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  Fig. 4 Cancer burden by region, 2018. (A) DALY rate per 100,000 population by region. (B) YLL rate per 100,000 population by region. (C) YLD rate per 100,000 population by region. DALY, disability-adjusted life year; YLD, year lived with disability; YLL, year of life lost.

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  Fig. 5 Difference in cancer burden according to income level, 2018. DALY, disability-adjusted life year.

Reference

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