Gwangju and Jeonnam Cancer Incidence Rates Show Declining Trend... Decreasing Annually Since 2009 and 2010

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital Announces '2020 Cancer Incidence and Survival Rate Statistics'

5-Year Cancer Survival Rate Up 4%p in Gwangju and 5.7%p in Jeonnam Compared to 10 Years Ago

The incidence rate of new cancer cases in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions has been decreasing. Since 2009, Gwangju has seen an annual decrease of 1.7%, and Jeonnam has experienced a 2.1% annual decline since 2010.

The most common cancer among men in both Gwangju and Jeonnam is lung cancer. In Gwangju, from 1999 to 2019, the most frequently occurring cancer in men was stomach cancer. In 2020, lung cancer surpassed stomach cancer for the first time to become the most diagnosed cancer.

In Jeonnam as well, lung cancer has maintained the highest number of cases among men since 2014, highlighting the need to identify causes and implement measures such as strengthening smoking cessation programs and promoting lung cancer screening.

On the 30th, the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Cancer Center at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Cancer Registry announced the '2020 Cancer Incidence and Survival Rate Statistics' for the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, collected through the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Cancer Registry Project.

In 2020, the total number of newly diagnosed cancer patients in Gwangju and Jeonnam was 16,905 (9,191 men and 7,714 women). This represents a decrease of 900 patients (564 men and 336 women) compared to 17,805 (9,755 men and 8,050 women) in 2019.

In 2020, the number of new cancer patients in Gwangju was 6,403 (3,299 men and 3,104 women), and in Jeonnam, it was 10,502 (5,892 men and 4,610 women). Compared to 2019, Gwangju saw an increase of 7 patients (39 men ↑, 32 women ↓), while Jeonnam experienced a decrease of 907 patients (603 men ↓, 304 women ↓).

By cancer type, in Gwangju, among the top 10 most common cancers, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer decreased, while thyroid cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer increased.

In Jeonnam, all cancer types except pancreatic cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma decreased compared to the previous year, with stomach cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer leading the decline.

Both Gwangju and Jeonnam showed a decreasing trend in stomach cancer, while breast cancer increased among women, and prostate and pancreatic cancers increased among men.

Regarding the status of common cancers, in 2020, the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Gwangju was thyroid cancer, followed by lung cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and liver cancer. Among men, the ranking was lung cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer, while among women, it was thyroid cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, and lung cancer.

In Jeonnam, the most common cancers were lung cancer, stomach cancer, thyroid cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Among men, the order was lung cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer, and among women, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, and lung cancer.

Thyroid cancer was the most common cancer among women in both Gwangju and Jeonnam.

The 5-year relative survival rate of cancer patients diagnosed in the last five years in Gwangju and Jeonnam has increased. From 2016 to 2020, Gwangju recorded a survival rate of 73.3%, and Jeonnam recorded 65.6%.

These results represent an increase of 4 percentage points in Gwangju and 5.7 percentage points in Jeonnam compared to ten years ago (2006?2010). Notably, in both regions, women showed higher survival rates than men, which is presumed to be due to the higher prevalence of thyroid and breast cancers, which have better survival outcomes, among women.