Actor Jang Geun-seok Reveals Battle with Thyroid Cancer
Discovered in October Last Year, Surgery Performed in May This Year
"The Fear from Cancer Was Great... Reflected on Life"
Actor Jang Geun-suk (36), known to have battled thyroid cancer, shared his experience of having his surgery delayed due to conflicts between the medical community and the government. According to a video titled "I Will Tell You Everything from Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis to Fighting and Until Now" uploaded on June 25th on the YouTube channel 'I am Jang Geun-suk,' he discovered his thyroid cancer during a health checkup last October. He said, "Like many patients, it took me a while to accept the diagnosis, thinking 'Why did this happen when there is no family history?'"
Meanwhile, conflicts arose between the medical community and the government over increasing medical school quotas, causing numerous cases of delayed surgeries and interrupted treatments. Jang Geun-suk said, "At that time, there was a medical crisis, so I couldn't have the surgery immediately," adding, "Even now, scheduling surgery is quite difficult, but back then I made a reservation and waited. I was contacted about a month before the surgery in April, and the surgery took place at the end of May." He recalled his alma mater, Hanyang University, and underwent surgery at Hanyang University Hospital.
It is reported that Jang Geun-suk did not disclose his battle with cancer to those around him after his thyroid cancer diagnosis. In the video, he appeared wearing branded clothing reminiscent of hospital patient gowns, which bore the phrase "죽을쏘냐 Never Die Hospital (Never Die in the Hospital)." Regarding this, he tearfully said, "Since there was no one I could talk to before the surgery, this clothing gave me a lot of courage."
He stated, "After the surgery, I thought, 'I have overcome a six-hour battle,'" and added, "I am now fully recovered." He also said, "It was a very small, dot-sized cell, but after the surgery, the doctor said, 'The surgery went very well, and it was completed without any metastasis,'" adding, "It takes time to hear the (complete recovery) results. After three months, I have to undergo blood tests again to check for metastasis."
According to the 2021 National Cancer Registry statistics in South Korea, the 5-year relative survival rate for thyroid cancer is 100.1%. The relative survival rate is the probability of a cancer patient surviving for five years compared to the general population. This means that people with thyroid cancer survive longer than those without it (100%). Because of this, thyroid cancer is sometimes called a "good cancer."
However, Jang Geun-suk said, "Some call thyroid cancer a 'good cancer' or a 'light cancer.' That may be true or false," but he emphasized, "The word cancer brings significant fear to the person diagnosed." He continued, "The surgery made me reflect a lot on life. I see it as an opportunity to be born as a positive person," and stressed, "I want to share the positive energy I gained through this with many people."
Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as, "Getting a cancer diagnosis must feel like the sky is falling," "No matter how good the cancer is called, there is a risk of metastasis, so you overcame a big hurdle," and "Six hours is a long surgery, so it's a relief that you are fully recovered."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
