This study aimed to report on cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2018 to estimate Korea’s current cancer burden.
Cancer 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
A 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.
The 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.
As the leading cause of death in Korea [
The Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare initiated a nationwide, hospital-based cancer registry, the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR), in 1980. The history, objectives, and activities of the KCCR have been documented in detail elsewhere [
The cancer sites included in this study were (1) all cancers combined and (2) the 24 common cancers as follows: lip, oral cavity, and pharynx (C00-C14), esophagus (C15), stomach (C16), colon and rectum (C18-C20), liver and intrahepatic bile duct (liver) (C22), gallbladder and other parts of the biliary tract (gallbladder) (C23-C24), pancreas (C25), larynx (C32), lung and bronchus (lung) (C33-C34), breast (C50), cervix uteri (C53), corpus uteri (C54), ovary (C56), prostate (C61), testis (C62), kidney (C64), bladder (C67), brain and central nervous system (C70-C72), thyroid (C73), Hodgkin lymphoma (C81), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (C82-C86, C96), multiple myeloma (C90), leukemia (C91-C95), and other and ill defined.
Population data from 1993 to 2018 were obtained from the resident registration population, reported by Statistics Korea. Data on the mid-year population, as of July 1 of the respective year, were analyzed. For the year 2018, however, we used population data as of December 31, 2017, because mid-2018 resident registration population was not yet available at the time of analysis.
Linear regression models [
We summarized the results by using crude rates (CRs) and age-standardized rates (ASRs) of cancer incidence and mortality. ASRs were standardized using the world standard population [
A total of 204,909 new cancer cases are anticipated in 2018 (
The projected CRs per 100,000 of all sites combined in 2018 are projected to be 433.8 and 359.7 in men and women, respectively (
In women, the five leading primary sites are expected to be the breast (CR, 83.1; ASR, 52.8), colon and rectum (CR, 37.0; ASR, 16.8), stomach (CR, 34.0; ASR, 16.7), thyroid (CR, 31.5; ASR, 25.5), and lung (CR, 29.6; ASR, 13.7), accounting for 59.9% of all new cancers (
The five most common cancer sites expected in 2018 by sex and age group are shown in
It is estimated that 82,155 cancer deaths will occur in Korea during 2018 (
The predicted age-specific mortality rates of the selected cancers for males and females in 2018 are shown in further detail in
A total of 204,909 new cancer cases and 82,155 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea during 2018. The lung cancer is predicted to the most common cancer among male, followed by stomach, colorectal, liver, and prostate cancers. Lung, liver, colorectal, stomach, and pancreatic cancers are expected to be the most common causes of cancer deaths among men. In women, the five leading primary sites are expected to be the breast, colorectal, stomach, thyroid, and lung cancers are anticipated to be the most prevalent, while lung, colorectal, pancreatic, liver, and breast cancers are projected to be the most common causes of cancer-related deaths.
Cancer is currently one of the foremost public health concerns in Korea. Although cancer rates are anticipated to decrease somewhat, but burden of most of cancers will continue to grow with the aging of its population. The current projections of cancer incidence and mortality for 2018 represent an important resource for planning and evaluation of cancer-control programs. As the estimates in this study are model-based, these results should be interpreted with caution. Especially, incidence of some cancers, such as stomach, colorectum and thyroid, started to decrease from early 2010s. So recent trends of those cancers contained only five or six data points, therefore their estimates could be unstable.
Conflict of interest relevant to this article was not reported.
This work was supported by a research grant from the National Cancer Center (No. 1610200), Republic of Korea.
The 10 leading types of estimated new cancer cases and deaths by sex in 2018. (A) Estimated new cases. (B) Estimated deaths.
Projected age-specific incidences of major cancers during 2018 in Korea. (A) Males. (B) Females.
Projected age-specific mortality rates of major cancers during 2018 in Korea. (A) Males. (B). Females.
Estimated new cancer cases and deaths by sex during 2018 in Korea
Site | Estimated new cases |
Estimated deaths |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Both sexes | Male | Female | Both sexes | Male | Female | |
All sites | 204,909 | 112,275 | 92,634 | 82,155 | 50,525 | 31,630 |
Lip, oral cavity, and pharynx | 3,627 | 2,631 | 996 | 1,196 | 875 | 321 |
Esophagus | 2,515 | 2,297 | 218 | 1,365 | 1,212 | 153 |
Stomach | 25,872 | 17,103 | 8,769 | 7,138 | 4,624 | 2,514 |
Colon and rectum | 23,271 | 13,734 | 9,537 | 9,371 | 5,549 | 3,822 |
Liver |
15,058 | 11,343 | 3,715 | 10,977 | 8,016 | 2,961 |
Gallbladder |
7,327 | 3,878 | 3,449 | 4,562 | 2,253 | 2,309 |
Pancreas | 7,539 | 3,994 | 3,545 | 6,362 | 3,288 | 3,074 |
Larynx | 1,070 | 1,040 | 30 | 299 | 298 | 1 |
Lung |
26,725 | 19,107 | 7,618 | 19,317 | 14,108 | 5,209 |
Breast | 21,471 | 82 | 21,389 | 2,709 | 19 | 2,690 |
Cervix uteri | 2,910 | 0 | 2,910 | 763 | 0 | 763 |
Corpus uteri | 2,741 | 0 | 2,741 | 357 | 0 | 357 |
Ovary | 2,709 | 0 | 2,709 | 1,236 | 0 | 1,236 |
Prostate | 10,904 | 10,904 | 0 | 2,176 | 2,176 | 0 |
Testis | 298 | 298 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
Kidney | 5,244 | 3,610 | 1,634 | 1,186 | 825 | 361 |
Bladder | 4,401 | 3,533 | 868 | 1,563 | 1,173 | 390 |
Brain and CNS | 1,824 | 970 | 854 | 1,320 | 674 | 646 |
Thyroid | 10,129 | 2,014 | 8,115 | 354 | 101 | 253 |
Hodgkin lymphoma | 323 | 205 | 118 | 64 | 39 | 25 |
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 4,960 | 2,867 | 2,093 | 1,966 | 1,142 | 824 |
Multiple myeloma | 1,843 | 991 | 852 | 1,102 | 594 | 508 |
Leukemia | 3,534 | 2,019 | 1,515 | 1,951 | 1,132 | 819 |
Other and ill defined | 18,614 | 9,655 | 8,959 | 4,803 | 2,409 | 2,394 |
CNS, central nervous system.
Includes the liver and intrahepatic bile duct,
Includes the gallbladder and other/unspecified parts of the biliary tract,
Includes the lung and bronchus.
Estimated crude and age-standardized cancer incidences by sex during 2018 in Korea
Site | Crude incidence rate per 100,000 |
Age-standardized incidence rate per 100,000 |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Both sexes | Male | Female | Both sexes | Male | Female | |
All sites | 396.8 | 433.8 | 359.7 | 222.3 | 255.1 | 202.7 |
Lip, oral cavity, and pharynx | 7.0 | 10.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 6.1 | 2.3 |
Esophagus | 4.9 | 8.9 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 4.9 | 0.4 |
Stomach | 50.1 | 66.1 | 34.0 | 26.7 | 38.3 | 16.7 |
Colon and rectum | 45.1 | 53.1 | 37.0 | 23.1 | 30.4 | 16.8 |
Liver |
29.2 | 43.8 | 14.4 | 15.5 | 25.3 | 6.6 |
Gallbladder |
14.2 | 15.0 | 13.4 | 6.7 | 8.3 | 5.5 |
Pancreas | 14.6 | 15.4 | 13.8 | 7.2 | 8.7 | 5.9 |
Larynx | 2.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.1 |
Lung |
51.8 | 73.8 | 29.6 | 25.5 | 40.8 | 13.7 |
Breast | 41.6 | 0.3 | 83.1 | 26.4 | 0.2 | 52.8 |
Cervix uteri | 5.6 | - | 11.3 | 3.6 | - | 7.1 |
Corpus uteri | 5.3 | - | 10.6 | 3.3 | - | 6.5 |
Ovary | 5.2 | - | 10.5 | 3.4 | - | 6.7 |
Prostate | 21.1 | 42.1 | - | 10.5 | 23.4 | - |
Testis | 0.6 | 1.2 | - | 0.6 | 1.1 | - |
Kidney | 10.2 | 13.9 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 8.5 | 3.5 |
Bladder | 8.5 | 13.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 7.6 | 1.3 |
Brain and CNS | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
Thyroid | 19.6 | 7.8 | 31.5 | 15.4 | 5.9 | 25.5 |
Hodgkin lymphoma | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 9.6 | 11.1 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 7.5 | 4.9 |
Multiple myeloma | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
Leukemia | 6.8 | 7.8 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 4.5 |
Other and ill defined | 36.0 | 37.3 | 34.8 | 20.3 | 23.4 | 17.7 |
CNS, central nervous system.
Age adjusted to the world standard population,
Includes the liver and intrahepatic bile duct,
Includes the gallbladder and other/unspecified parts of the biliary tract,
Includes the lung and bronchus.
Estimated cancer incidence by age group and sex during 2018 in Korea
Rank | Age group (yr) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|
0-14 | 15-34 | 35-64 | ≥ 65 | |
1 | Leukemia (5.0) | Thyroid (7.9) | Stomach (64.6) | Lung |
2 | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (2.9) | Leukemia (3.5) | Liver |
Stomach (287.9) |
3 | Brain and CNS (1.5) | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (3.0) | Colon and rectum (45.2) | Prostate (266.6) |
4 | Liver |
Testis (2.6) | Lung (43.6) | Colon and rectum (252.9) |
5 | Colon and rectum (2.5) | Prostate (20.2) | Liver |
|
1 | Leukemia (4.1) | Thyroid (34.9) | Breast (141.3) | Colon and rectum (147.9) |
2 | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (1.8) | Breast (10.8) | Thyroid (41.7) | Stomach (119.0) |
3 | Brain and CNS (1.6) | Cervix uteri (5.4) | Stomach (29.8) | Lung |
4 | Ovary (0.8) | Ovary (3.2) | Colon and rectum (26.1) | Breast (85.7) |
5 | Thyroid (0.7) | Cervix corpus (2.4) | Lung |
Gallbladder |
CNS, central nervous system.
Includes the lung and bronchus,
Includes the liver and intrahepatic bile duct,
Includes the gallbladder and other/unspecified parts of the biliary tract.
Estimated crude and age-standardized cancer mortality rates by sex during 2018 in Korea
Site | Crude mortality rate per 100,000 |
Age-standardized mortality rate per 100,000 |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Both sexes | Male | Female | Both sexes | Male | Female | |
All sites | 159.1 | 195.2 | 122.8 | 75.0 | 108.1 | 51.0 |
Lip, oral cavity, and pharynx | 2.3 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.5 |
Esophagus | 2.6 | 4.7 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.2 |
Stomach | 13.8 | 17.9 | 9.8 | 6.4 | 9.9 | 3.7 |
Colon and rectum | 18.1 | 21.4 | 14.8 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 5.5 |
Liver |
21.3 | 31.0 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 17.5 | 4.5 |
Gallbladder |
8.8 | 8.7 | 9.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.1 |
Pancreas | 12.3 | 12.7 | 11.9 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 4.7 |
Larynx | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
Lung |
37.4 | 54.5 | 20.2 | 16.8 | 29.1 | 7.8 |
Breast | 5.2 | 0.1 | 10.4 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 5.8 |
Cervix uteri | 1.5 | - | 3.0 | 0.8 | - | 1.5 |
Corpus uteri | 0.7 | - | 1.4 | 0.4 | - | 0.7 |
Ovary | 2.4 | - | 4.8 | 1.3 | - | 2.4 |
Prostate | 4.2 | 8.4 | - | 1.7 | 4.5 | - |
Testis | 0.0 | 0.1 | - | 0.0 | 0.1 | - |
Kidney | 2.3 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
Bladder | 3.0 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.5 |
Brain and CNS | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
Thyroid | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Hodgkin lymphoma | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 |
Multiple myeloma | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
Leukemia | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
Other and ill defined | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 3.9 |
CNS, central nervous system.
Age adjusted to the world standard population,
Includes the liver and intrahepatic bile duct,
Includes the gallbladder and other/unspecified parts of the biliary tract,
Includes the lung and bronchus.