National Cancer Incidence Database Research Articles

Abstract P4-17-05: Survival and clinicopathologic characteristics of male breast cancer patients using Korea national cancer incidence database

Abstract Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a very rare disease. There are ambiguous opinions about treatment outcomes and survival outcome. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and survival outcome of male breast cancer in Korea. Additionally, we evaluated the differences between male and female breast cancer (FBC). Method: We identified 226,612 breast cancer cases diagnosed between 1999 and 2016 in the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR). We retrospectively analyzed the data that patient demographics and clinical information between MBC and FBC. Overall survival (OS) was estimated according to sex, age, histologic type, stage. Results: Of the 226,612 patients, 1,052 had male breast cancer patient and 225,560 had female breast cancer patients. The ratio of male to female was 0.0047. MBC patients were diagnosed the most frequently in those aged 60-69 years. In contrast, FBC was diagnosed the most frequently in those aged 40-49 years (p<.0001). Male patient received less adjuvant therapy than female patients (radiotherapy, MBC vs. FBC = 8% vs. 22%, chemotherapy, 41.9% vs. 55.7%, p<.0001). The 5-years OS rates after the diagnosis of breast cancer were 88.8% for all patients. MBC has a lower 5-years OS rate than FBC (76.2% for men, and 88.9% for women, p<.0001). Both groups showed lower survival in patients aged ≥60 years. The 5-years OS rates of invasive type were 75.8% for men and 89% for women. The OS rate was lower in both groups as the stage increased. Conclusion: We found that there is a difference between MBC and FBC. The survival outcomes in MBC were worse than that of FBC. This study showed the different OS patterns according to the age, histology, and stage. Based on these results, clinicians need to recognize the difference from FBC when treating MBC. Citation Format: Eungyeong Lee, Heein Jo, Jai Hong Han, So-Youn Jung, Seeyoun Lee, Han-Sung Kang, Myong Cheol Lim, Young-Joo Won, Eun Sook Lee, Eun Sook Lee. Survival and clinicopathologic characteristics of male breast cancer patients using Korea national cancer incidence database [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-17-05.

Incidence trends for epithelial peritoneal, ovarian, and fallopian tube cancer during 1999-2016: a retrospective study based on the Korean National Cancer Incidence Database.

ObjectivePrimary peritoneal cancer (PPC), ovarian cancer (OC), and fallopian tube cancer (FTC) are considered as a single disease group. As knowledge of the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of peritoneal, ovarian, and fallopian tube (POFT) cancer grows, the tendencies in OC diagnosis are changing. We investigate the incidence and clinical characteristics of epithelial POFT based on cancer site and histologic type.MethodsData from the Korea Central Cancer Registry for the period between 1999 and 2016 were analyzed. The incidence rates and annual percent changes (APCs) for each tumor site were reported.ResultsAmong 27,768 women with cancer, 1,086 (3.91%) had PPC, 25,847 (93.08%) had OC, and 835 (3.01%) had FTC. Age-standardized rates increased from 0.05 to 0.24, 3.51 to 5.48, and 0.04 to 0.28 in PPC, OC, and FTC, respectively. The proportion of PPC and FTC among all the POFT cases increased consistently during the study period (from, respectively, 1.48 and 1.06 in 1999 to 4.52 and 4.76 in 2016). The APC of PPC, OC, and FTC during 1999–2016 was 9.3%, 2.7%, and 8.6%, respectively. The incidence of PPC, OC, and FTC was highest among patients in the 65–69, 50–54, and 55–59 years age group, respectively.ConclusionThe overall incidence of PPC, OC, and FTC cancer has steadily increased. The relative increase of PPC and FTC has been significant. In this study, OC incidence had a relatively young peak age, in contrast to FTC and PPC, which had an older peak age.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis is Associated with Elevated Risk of Lung cancer in Korea: The Nationwide Cohort Study.

Objective: Although previous studies suggest that previous pulmonary tuberculosis was associated with increased risk of lung cancer. It remains controversial whether pulmonary tuberculosis is a risk factor for lung cancer. Our study was aimed to examine the association between pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer risk in Korean.Methods: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database was linked with the Korean National Cancer Incidence Database to examine the occurrence of pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer. The linked databases were also merged with causes of death database of Statistics Korea. The Cox-proportional hazards model was used to estimates the hazard risk of lung cancer for Korean adults aged ≥40 years with pulmonary tuberculosis.Results: Of 20,252 total participants, 2,640 (13.0%) had old pulmonary tuberculosis (a medical history of pulmonary tuberculosis or radiologically inactive tuberculosis). After adjusting for all covariates, the hazard ratio of lung cancer among patients with old pulmonary tuberculosis was 3.24 (95% CI, 1.87‒5.62) compared to the control group. According to smoking status, the hazard ratios of lung cancer for never smokers, ex-smokers, and current smokers among participants with old pulmonary tuberculosis were 3.52 (95% CI, 1.17‒10.63), 2.16 (95% CI, 0.89‒5.24), and 3.71 (95% CI, 1.49‒9.22) compared to the control group, respectively.Conclusions: Korean adults with old pulmonary tuberculosis have a higher risk of lung cancer, compared to general population without pulmonary tuberculosis.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2016.

PurposeThis study presents the 2016 nationwide cancer statistics in Korea, including cancer incidence, survival, prevalence, and mortality.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999 to 2016 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database and followed until December 31, 2017. Mortality data from 1983 to 2016 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The prevalence was defined as the number of cancer patients alive on January 1, 2017 among all cancer patients diagnosed since 1999. Crude and age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence, mortality, and prevalence and 5-year relative survivals were also calculated.ResultsOverall, 229,180 and 78,194 Koreans were newly diagnosed and died from cancer in 2016, respectively. The ASRs for cancer incidence and mortality in 2016 were 269.0 and 79.8 per 100,000 individuals, respectively. The all-cancer incidence rate increased significantly by 3.6% annually from 1999 to 2011 and started to decrease after 2011 (2011-2016; annual percent change, –3.1%). However, overall cancer mortality has decreased 2.7% annually since 2002. The 5-year relative survival rate for patients diagnosed with cancer between 2012 and 2016 was 70.6%, an improvement from the 41.2% for patients diagnosed between 1993 and 1995.ConclusionThe cancer prevalence in Korea has increased very fast as survival has improved remarkably. The high prevalence of cancer emphasizes the need for comprehensive cancer control efforts in Korea.

Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2019.

PurposeThis study aimed to report on cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2019 to estimate Korea’s current cancer burden.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999 to 2016 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2017 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against observed years, then multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the age-specific population. The Joinpoint regression model was used to determine at which year the linear trend changed significantly; we used only the data of the latest trend.ResultsA total of 221,347 new cancer cases and 82,344 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2019. The most common cancer sites thus far have been the lung, followed by the stomach, colon and rectum, breast, and liver. These five cancers represent half of the overall burden of cancer in Korea. For cancer associated mortality, the most common sites were lung, followed by the liver, colon and rectum, stomach, and pancreas.ConclusionThe incidence rate of all cancer in Korea is estimated to decrease gradually. These up-todate estimates of the cancer burden in Korea could be an important resource for planning and evaluating cancer-control programs.

A Nationwide, Population-Based Epidemiologic Study of Childhood Brain Tumors in Korea, 2005-2014: A Comparison with United States Data.

We investigated the epidemiologic characteristics of childhood brain tumors (CBT) in Korea, and compared our findings with those from the United States. We searched the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database of the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) from 2005 to 2014, which included all Korean patients with CBT aged 0 to 19 years at diagnosis. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) and the 5-year relative survival rate (RSR) were determined. The Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) classification and definitions were applied to allow direct comparison with U.S. A total of 6,027 CBTs were identified. The ASR of all CBTs was 5.08 per 100,000 population, which was significantly lower than that in the United States (5.57). However, the ASR of nonmalignant CBTs in Korea (2.48) was significantly higher than that in the United States (2.15). Embryonal tumors (ASR: 0.99 and 0.72 in the 0-4 and 5-9 year age groups, respectively) were the most common CBTs in these respective age groups. Germ cell tumors (0.78) and pituitary tumors (1.63) were the most common CBTs in the 10-14 and 15-19 year age groups, respectively. The 5-year RSR of CBTs was 84% and varied according to histology. High incidences of nonmalignant and germ cell tumors are distinct CBT features in Korean children and adolescents. To our knowledge, this is the first and largest population-based epidemiologic study of CBTs in Asia. Our findings support the notion that East Asian populations have a higher incidence of central nervous system germ cell tumors than other races.

Estimation of the medical need for carbon-ion radiotherapy in Korea.

The Korea Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator project focuses on the development of medical accelerator facilities for delivering carbon-ion beams to cancer patients. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the clinical need for carbon-ion therapy in Korea. Seven tumor sites, namely head and neck, liver, lung, colon and rectum, prostate, bone and soft tissue, and pancreas were selected as eligible sites for receiving carbon-ion radiotherapy (RT) by radiation oncologists of the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences. Cancer incidence data for the selected tumor sites were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database in order to estimate the potential medical need for carbon-ion RT. The carbon-ion RT adaption rate was assessed based on the clinical experience of other carbon-ion therapy facilities. An estimation model was constructed for estimating the medical need for carbon-ion RT, and from this, 25 606 patients were deemed to be potential candidates for carbon-ion RT. This estimated potential need corresponded to 10% of newly diagnosed cancer patients in Korea. The realistic estimation was calculated as ranging between 4000 and 6300 patients, depending on the carbon-ion RT adaptation rate. This estimated medical need corresponded to 2–3% of newly diagnosed cancer patients in Korea. Taken together, our findings suggest that there is a clear medical need for carbon-ion RT in Korea, with at least 4000 potential patients per year.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2015.

PurposeThis study presents the 2015 nationwide cancer statistics in Korea, including the incidence, survival, prevalence, and mortality.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999 to 2015 was obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database and followed until December 31, 2016. Mortality data from 1983 to 2015 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The prevalence was defined as the number of cancer patients alive on January 1, 2016, among all cancer patients diagnosed since 1999. Crude and age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence, mortality and prevalence and 5-year relative survivals were also calculated.ResultsHerein, 214,701 and 76,855 Koreans were newly diagnosed and died from cancer in 2015, respectively. The ASRs for cancer incidence and mortality in 2015 were 258.9 and 82.0 per 100,000, respectively. The overall cancer incidence rate has increased significantly by 3.4% annually from 1999 to 2012, and started to decrease after 2012 (2012-2015, annual percent change, –6.1%). However, the overall cancer mortality has decreased 2.7% annually since 2002. The 5-year relative survival rate for patients diagnosed with cancer between 2011 and 2015 was 70.7%, an improvement from the 41.2% for patients diagnosed between 1993 and 1995.ConclusionAge-standardized cancer incidence rates have decreased since 2012 and mortality rates have declined since 2002; however, the 5-year survival rates have improved remarkably from 1993-1995 to 2011-2015 in Korea.

Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2018.

PurposeThis study aimed to report on cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2018 to estimate Korea’s current cancer burden.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999 to 2015 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2016 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against observed years, then multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the age-specific population. The Joinpoint regression model was used to determine at which year the linear trend changed significantly, we only used the data of the latest trend.ResultsA total of 204,909 new cancer cases and 82,155 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2018. The most common cancer sites were lung, followed by stomach, colorectal, breast and liver. These five cancers represent half of the overall burden of cancer in Korea. For mortality, the most common sites were lung cancer, followed by liver, colorectal, stomach and pancreas.ConclusionThe incidence rate of all cancer in Korea are estimated to decrease gradually, mainly due to decrease of thyroid cancer. These up-to-date estimates of the cancer burden in Korea could be an important resource for planning and evaluation of cancer-control programs.

Nationwide Analysis of Treatment Patterns for Korean Breast Cancer Survivors Using National Health Insurance Service Data.

BackgroundThe National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) established a healthcare claim database for all Korean citizens. This study aimed to analyze the NHIS data and investigate the patterns of breast cancer treatments.MethodsWe constructed a retrospective female breast cancer cohort by analyzing annual incident cases. The annual number of newly diagnosed female breast cancer was compared between the NHIS data and Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (KNCIDB). The annual treatment patterns including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, endocrine therapy and targeted therapy were analyzed.ResultsA total of 148,322 women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer during 2006–2014 was identified. The numbers of newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases were similar between the NHIS data and KNCIDB, which demonstrated a strong correlation (r = 0.995; P < 0.001). The age distribution of the breast cancer cases in the NHIS data and KNCIDB also showed a strong correlation (r = 1.000; P < 0.001). About 85% of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients underwent operations. Although the proportions of chemotherapy use have not changed during 2006–2014, the total number of chemotherapy prescriptions sharply increased during this period. The proportions of radiotherapy and anti-hormonal therapy increased. Among the anti-hormonal agents, tamoxifen was the most frequently prescribed medication, and letrozole was the most preferred endocrine treatment in patients aged ≥ 50 years.ConclusionAlong with the increased breast cancer incidence in Korea, the frequencies of breast cancer treatments have increased. The NHIS data can be a feasible data source for future research.

Nationwide Statistical Analysis of Lymphoid Malignancies in Korea.

PurposeRegional differences in the incidence of lymphoid malignancies have been reported worldwide, but there has been no large-scale epidemiologic analysis in Korea. The aim of this study was to provide a nationwide population-based statistical analysis of Korean patients with lymphoid malignancies.Materials and MethodsThe Korea Central Cancer Registry analyzed the incidence and survival of patients with lymphoid malignancies from the Korean National Cancer Incidence Database. Diseases were grouped by clinically relevant categories based on the 2008 World Health Organization classification.ResultsOverall 65,948 lymphoid diseases were identified between 1999 and 2012. The incidence of most subtypes increased with age, except for precursor cell neoplasms. Male predominance (male:female ratio=1.28:1) was observed. In 2012, annual age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 persons of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, mature B-cell neoplasm, mature T/natural killer (NK)–cell neoplasm, and precursor cell neoplasm were 0.46, 6.60, 0.95, and 1.50, respectively, and they increased yearly from 1999. Composite Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas were extremely rare. Survival improvement estimated using 5-year relative survival rate was observed in patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (71.1%-83.0%), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (49.5%-61.5%), plasma cell neoplasms (20.2%-36.9%), and lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia (41.5%-56.3%) between 1993 and 2012. However, survival rates of T/NK-cell lymphoma (excluding cutaneous T-cell lymphoma) ranged from 40.5%-43.5% during the study period. Survival rates decreased with age in most subtypes.ConclusionThis report presented the subtype-specific statistical analysis of lymphoid malignancies in the Korean population, showing increasing incidences and survival rates in most subtypes.

Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2017.

PurposeThis study aimed to report on cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2017 in Korea in order to estimate the nation’s current cancer burden.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999 to 2014 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2015 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observe age-specific cancer rates against observed years, and then multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the age-specific population. The Joinpoint regression model was used to determine at which year the linear trend changed significantly; we only used data of the latest trend.ResultsA total of 221,143 new cancer cases and 80,268 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2017. The most common cancer sites are the colorectum, stomach, lung, thyroid, and breast. These five cancers represent half of the overall burden of cancer in Korea. For mortality, the most common sites are the lung, liver, colorectal, stomach, and pancreas.ConclusionThe incidence rate of all cancers in Korea appears to have decreased mainly because of a decrease in thyroid cancer. These up-to-date estimates of the cancer burden in Korea could be an important resource for planning and evaluation of cancer-control programs.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2014.

PurposeThis study presents the 2014 nationwide cancer statistics in Korea, including cancer incidence, survival, prevalence, and mortality.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999 to 2014 was obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database and followed until December 31, 2015. Mortality data from 1983 to 2014 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The prevalence was defined as the number of cancer patients alive on January 1, 2015, among all cancer patients diagnosed since 1999. Crude and age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence, mortality, prevalence, and 5-year relative survivals were also calculated.ResultsIn 2014, 217,057 and 76,611 Koreans were newly diagnosed and died from cancer respectively. The ASRs for cancer incidence and mortality in 2014 were 270.7 and 85.1 per 100,000, respectively. The all-cancer incidence rate has increased significantly by 3.4% annually from 1999 to 2012, and started to decrease after 2012 (2012-2014; annual percent change, –6.6%). However, overall cancer mortality has decreased 2.7% annually since 2002. The 5-year relative survival rate for patients diagnosed with cancer between 2010 and 2014 was 70.3%, an improvement from the 41.2% for patients diagnosed between 1993 and 1995.ConclusionAge-standardized cancer incidence rates have decreased since 2012 and mortality rates have also declined since 2002, while 5-year survival rates have improved remarkably from 1993-1995 to 2010-2014 in Korea.

Current Trends in the Incidence and Survival Rate of Urological Cancers in Korea.

PurposeThis descriptive study assessed the current trends in the incidence of urological cancers and patient survival in Korea.Materials and MethodsIn this nationwide retrospective observational study based on the data from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (KNCIDB), this study analyzed the age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) and annual percentage changes (APCs) of kidney, bladder, prostate, testicular, and penile cancers as well as cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter between 1999 and 2012. The relative survival rates (RSRs) were calculated for urological cancer patients diagnosed between 1993 and 2012 from the KNCIDB data.ResultsProstate cancer was diagnosed in 66,812 individuals followed by bladder (41,549) and kidney (36,836) cancers. The overall ASR (18.26 per 100,000) increased with age because of the higher ASRs of bladder and prostate cancers in the elderly. The ASR for kidney cancer was highest in the 40-59-year-old group, whereas testicular cancer occurred most frequently before the age of 40. The incidence of most urological cancers increased (overall APC, 6.39%; p < 0.001), except for penile (APC, –2.01%; p=0.05) and bladder (APC, –0.40%; p=0.25) cancers. The overall survival increased steadily (5-year RSR, 66.4% in 1993-1995 vs. 84.2% in 2008-2012; p < 0.001), particularly for prostate (by 34.10%) and kidney (by 16.30%) cancers, but not for renal pelvis and ureter cancers (–7.20%).ConclusionThe most common urological cancer in Korea was prostate cancer followed by bladder and kidney cancers. The incidence of most urological cancers, except for penile and bladder cancers, increased. Survival also increased, particularly for prostate and kidney cancers.

Nationwide Population-Based Incidence and Survival Rates of Malignant Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors in Korea, 2005-2012.

PurposeMalignant central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors (GCTs), although rare, are thought to occur more frequently among Asians. However, a recent population-based study revealed no differences in GCT incidence between Asians and Caucasians. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the incidence and survival rates of CNS GCTs using the national cancer incidence database, and to compare these rates to those in the United States and Japan.Materials and MethodsWe extracted CNS GCT patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2012 from the Korea Central Cancer Registry database. Age-standardized rates (ASRs), annual percentage change, and the male-female incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. To estimate the survival rate, we used data for patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2010 and followed their cases until December 31, 2013.ResultsThe ASR for CNS GCT between 2005 and 2012 was 0.179 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval, 0.166 to 0.193), with an overall male-to-female (M:F) IRR of 2.95:1. However, when stratified by site, the M:F IRR was 13.62:1 for tumors of the pineal region and 1.87:1 for those located in nonpineal regions. The most frequent histologic type was germinoma (76.0%), and the most frequent location was the suprasellar region (48.5%). The 5-year survival rate of germinoma patients was 95.3%.ConclusionThe incidence rate of CNS GCTs in Korea during 2005-2012 was 0.179 per 100,000, which was similar to that of the Asian/Pacific Islander subpopulation in the United States. Moreover, the CNS GCT survival rate in Korea was similar to rates in Japan and the United States.

Trends in Head and Neck Cancer in South Korea Between 1999 and 2012.

Objectives.The purpose is to provide detailed estimates of population-based incidences of head and neck cancers (HNCs) between 1999 and 2012 in South Korea and to evaluate trends.Methods.Data was reviewed from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database regarding the incidence of HNCs between 1999 and 2012. Locations that were surveyed included lip, oral tongue, oral cavity, major salivary gland, nasopharynx, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus, tonsil, hypopharynx, oropharynx, and larynx. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated and provided with 95% confidence intervals. The increase ratio of HNCs for and male-to-female ratios were also calculated.Results.The incidence of lip (0.07–0.10/100,000 people) and oropharyngeal cancer (0.09–0.12/100,000 people) remained low during the study period while laryngeal cancer (1.17–2.08/100,000 people) occurred most frequently. The incidence of oral tongue, major salivary gland, tonsil, and hypopharynx increased steeply compared to other HNCs between 1999 and 2012. Male-to-female ratio was over 1.0 for all HNCs, especially for those of tonsil, hypopharynx, oropharynx, and larynx cancer which were >5.0.Conclusion.The incidence of all the HNCs except for laryngeal cancer has increased yearly in men and women in South Korea since 1998. Rates of oral tongue, major salivary gland, and tonsil cancer have increased the most rapidly during this time period.

Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2016.

Purpose:To estimate of Korea’s current cancer burden, this study aimed to report on projected cancer incidence and mortality rates for the year 2016.Materials and Methods:Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2013 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2014 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence in 2016 was projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer incidence rates against observed years, then multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the age-specific population. The Joinpoint regression model was used to determine at which year the linear trend changed significantly.Results:A total of 254,962 new cancer cases and 75,172 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2016. The five leading primary cancer incident sites in 2016 were estimated colorectal, stomach, lung, liver and thyroid cancer in men; thyroid, breast, colorectal, stomach, and lung cancer in women.Conclusion:Currently cancer is one of the foremost public health concerns in Korea. Although cancer rates are anticipated to decrease the nation’s cancer burden will continue to increase as the population ages.

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2013.

Purpose:This study described the 2013 nationwide cancer statistics in Korea, including cancer incidence, survival, prevalence, and mortality.Materials and Methods:Cancer incidence data from 1999-2013 were obtained from Korea National Cancer Incidence Database and followed until December 31, 2014. Mortality data from 1983-2013 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The prevalence was defined as the number of cancer patients alive on January 1, 2014 among all cancer patients diagnosed since 1999. Crude, and age-standardized and 5-year relative survival rates were also calculated.Results:In 2013, a total of 225,343 and 75,334 Koreans were newly diagnosed and died from cancer, respectively. The age-standardized rates for cancer incidence and mortality in 2013 were 290.5 and 87.9 per 100,000, respectively. The age-standardized cancer incidence rate increased 3.1% annually between 1999 and 2013. However, the overall cancer incidence rates have decreased slightly in recent years (2011 to 2013). The age-standardized rate for all-cancer mortality has decreased 2.7% annually since 2002. Overall, the 5-year relative survival rate for people diagnosed with cancer between 2009 and 2013 was 69.4%, which represents an improved survival rate as compared with 41.2% for people diagnosed between 1993 and 1995.Conclusion:Age-standardized cancer incidence rates have decreased between 2011 and 2013; mortality rates have also declined since 2002, while 5-year survival rates have improved remarkably from 1993-1995 to 2009-2013 in Korea.

Incidence and Survival of Childhood Cancer in Korea.

PurposeAn epidemiologic study of childhood cancer would provide useful information on cancer etiology and development of management guidelines.Materials and MethodsData from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database were used to examine the incidence and survival of cancer in patients aged 0-14 years. Patients were grouped according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, 3rd edition. Age-specific and age-standardized incidences per million and estimated annual percentage change (APC) were calculated by sex and age. Five-year relative survival was calculated for four periods from 1993 to 2011.ResultsThe study comprised 15,113 patients with malignant neoplasms. Age-standardized incidence rates for all cancers were 134.9 per million children in 1999-2011 and 144.0 and 124.9 per million for males and females, respectively (M/F ratio, 1.2; p < 0.05). The highest incidences were observed for ‘leukemias, myeloproliferative diseases, and myelodysplastic diseases’ (group I) (46.4), ‘central nervous system neoplasms’ (group III) (18.3), and ‘lymphomas and reticuloendothelial neoplasms’ (group II) (13.4). Age-standardized incidence increased from 117.9 in 1999 to 155.3 in 2011, with an APC of 2.4% (95% confidence interval, 2.1 to 2.7). There was a significant increase of APC in ‘neuroblastoma and other peripheral nervous cell tumors’ (group IV) (5.6%) and ‘other malignant epithelial neoplasms and malignant melanomas’ (group XI) (5.6%). The 5-year relative survival rate for all childhood cancers improved significantly from 56.2% (1993-1995) to 78.2% (2007-2011) (males, 56.7% to 77.7%; females, 55.5% to 78.8%).ConclusionThis study provides reliable information on incidence and survival trends for childhood cancer in Korea.

Incidence, Survival and Prevalence Statistics of Classical Myeloproliferative Neoplasm in Korea.

The nationwide statistical analysis of each disease of classical myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) in Korea has not been reported yet. To this end, we have analyzed incidence rates, survival rates and treatment pattern of polycythemia vera (PV), primary myelofibrosis (MF) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) using Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (KNCIDB) and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database. Between 2003 and 2011, a total of 4,342 new cases of MPN were reported to the KNCIDB. ET was the most common, followed by MF and PV. The crude incidence rates for PV, MF, and ET have increased during the period, reaching 0.40, 0.15, and 0.84 per 100,000, respectively. Five-year relative survival rate of all MPN patients was 89.3%, with lowest relative survival rate with MF (53.1%). The prevalence of each disease estimated from HIRA data also increased during the study period. Notably, ET was found to be most prevalent. The prescription rate of hydroxyurea and phlebotomy to PV, MF and ET patients remained constant over the period, and the prescription rate of hydroxyurea was higher in patients with age over 60 years. This is the first Korean nationwide statistics of MPN, using central registry data. This set of data can be utilized to compare the Korean MPN status to international data and guidelines.