Trends and Patterns of Cancer Burdens by Region and Income Level in Korea: A National Representative Big Data Analysis

PURPOSE: This study aimed to elucidate the trends and characteristics of the cancer burden in Korea by cancer site, region, and income level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Korean National Burden of Disease research methodology was applied to measure the cancer burden in Korea from 2008 to 2018. The cause of death and National Health Insurance claims data were obtained from Statistics Korea and the National Health Insurance Service, respectively. An incidence-based approach was applied to calculate the disability-adjusted life-years, which is a summary measure of population health. RESULTS: In the past decade, the cancer burden in Korea increased from 2,088 to 2,457 person-years per 100,000 population. Among the cancer burden, the years of life lost decreased, and the years lived with disabilities increased. Cancers of the trachea, bronchus, and lung had the highest disease burden, followed by those of the stomach, colon and rectum, liver, and breast. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study can provide valuable quantitative data for prioritizing and evaluating cancer prevention strategies and implementing cancer policies. Estimating the difference in cancer burden according to region and income level within a country can yield useful data to understand the nature of the cancer burden and scale of the problem. In addition, the results of this study provide a better understanding of the causes of cancer patterns, thereby generating new hypotheses regarding its pathogenesis.