The number of cancer patients in 2022 showed a similar increasing trend as before the transfer of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thyroid cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among both men and women, followed by colorectal, lung, and breast cancers. However, the five-year survival rate for cancer patients, which indicates the cure rate, was 72.9%, showing that seven out of ten cancer patients in the country were cured in the past five years. The cancer mortality rate was also the lowest among major comparison countries, such as the United States and Japan, at 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people.
According to the '2022 National Cancer Registration Statistics' announced on the 26th by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Cancer Center Central Cancer Registry, the number of patients diagnosed with cancer in 2022 was 282,047, which is a decrease of 154 (0.05%) compared to 2021. Although there was a slight decrease, considering that patients who delayed cancer screenings due to COVID-19 received medical services all at once last year, it is analyzed that the increasing trend similar to that of the transfer of COVID-19 continued in 2022.
The most commonly diagnosed cancer among both men and women in 2022 was thyroid cancer (12.0%). This was followed by colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, and liver cancer. The incidence rates of gastric, liver, and cervical cancers, which are part of the national cancer screening program, have steadily decreased over the past ten years. However, the incidence of prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women continues to rise.
In particular, the number of cases has increased for cancers that mainly occur in the elderly, such as prostate cancer (1,744 cases), pancreatic cancer (590 cases), breast cancer (354 cases), and lung cancer (102 cases). While the overall population has decreased since 2021, the population aged 65 and over has steadily increased, indicating that the number of cases for cancers primarily affecting the elderly is expected to rise further.
However, the cancer cure rate continues to improve, with the five-year relative survival rate for cancer patients diagnosed in the past five years (2018-2022) recorded at 72.9%. This figure is 18.7 percentage points higher than the survival rate (54.2%) of cancer patients diagnosed from 2001 to 2005, meaning that seven out of ten patients survived more than five years. The five-year survival rate is used as an indicator of the cancer cure rate. By gender, the five-year survival rate for female cancer patients was 78.8%, compared to 67.2% for male patients, indicating a difference of 11.6 percentage points.
As of 2023, the number of cancer patients in the country is 2,588,079, an increase of 153,990 from the previous year (2,434,089). This represents 5.0% of the total population. The number of cancer patients aged 65 and over is 1,302,668, meaning that one in seven individuals in this age group is classified as a cancer patient.
In 2022, Korea's cancer incidence rate was 287.0 cases per 100,000 people, lower than that of the United States (367.0), and the United Kingdom (307.8), but higher than Japan (285.1) and China (201.6). However, the cancer mortality rate was the lowest among major comparison countries. In 2022, Korea's cancer mortality rate was 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people.
Public Health Policy Director Jeong Tong-ryong said, 'The increase in cancer patients diagnosed at localized stages upon diagnosis is a significant achievement of early screening,' and noted, 'With the aging population, both the number of cancer patients and the types of cancers that primarily affect the elderly are increasing, and we will work to develop effective cancer management policies in response to these changes.'