Stomach Cancer Outbreaks No. 1, Lung Cancer Decease No. 1

While stomach cancer was most frequently coming cancer in the country last year, the cause of decease no. 1 was lung cancer.

According to `General Condition of Cancer Registration in 2000` which the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) announced on the 25th, newly diagnosed cancer cases in 131 training hospitals (over general hospital) nationwide during 2000 numbered 83,846 increased by 1.9 percent from the previous year. Out of the total cases, male was 48,005 persons 12,000 persons more than female 35,841 persons.

The number of diagnosed cancer cases are more in number than the patients, as some patients are troubled with over 2 kinds of cancer.

By the organs cancer attacked, stomach was attacked most, and later lung, lever, large intestine, breast and womb.

But the number of the deceased from cancer of the lung was the most with 20 percent, and later from stomach (19.9 percent), lever (17.4 percent), large intestine (7.3 percent), pancreas (4.7 percent) and esophagus (2.6 percent) out of total 58,042 deceased in 2000. Hence, it seems to be hard to cure lung cancer, pancreas cancer and esophagus cancer.

From the change since 1984, the number of stomach cancer and womb cervical cancer is decreasing, while the number of large intestine cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and lever cancer is rising, which shows that the type of cancer outbreaks of Korea is getting similar to that of advanced countries.

Especially lung cancer of male increased so much, and the decease from lung cancer numbered 8,619 persons increased by 5 times from 1,726 persons in1984.

MHW forecasted that the ratio of deaths from cancer to total deaths was 23.5 percent in 2000, but it will increase to 25 percent by 2005 with 1 out of 4 dying of cancer.

sya@donga.com