Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2011

PurposeThis study aimed to report nationwide cancer statistics in Korea, including incidence,mortality, survival, and prevalence, and their trends. Materials and MethodsIncidence data from 1993 to 2011 were obtained from the Korea National CancerIncidence Database, and vital status was followed through December 31, 2012. Mortality data from 1983 to 2011 were obtained from Statistics Korea. Crude andage-standardized rates for incidence, mortality, and prevalence, and relative survivalwere calculated. ResultsA total of 218,017 cancer cases and 71,579 cancer deaths were reported to haveoccurred in 2011, and there were 1,097,253 prevalent cases identified in Korea asof January 1, 2012. Over the past 13 years (1999-2011), overall incidence rates haveincreased by 3.4% per year. The incidence rates of liver and cervical cancers havedecreased, while those of thyroid, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers haveincreased. Notably, thyroid cancer increased by 23.3% per year in both sexes, andbecame the most common cancer since 2009. The mortality for all cancers combineddecreased by 2.7% per year from 2002 to 2011. Five-year relative survival rates ofpatients diagnosed in the last 5 years (2007-2011) have improved by 25.1%compared with those from 1993 to 1995. ConclusionOverall cancer mortality rates have declined since 2002 in Korea, while incidencehas increased rapidly and survival has improved.