If Found in Early Stage, 88% Can Survive More Than 5 Years

It is known that although cancer has developed, 87.8% can survive for more than 5 years and be diagnosed as perfect cure if it is discovered early and treated. Even 63% of the lung cancer cases, which are known as untreatable, can be completely cured if treated in early stage.

This is according to the data that the Cancer Center of the Yonsei Hospital analyzed the 5-year survival rate of 20,462 patients of 7 different cancers in Korea including stomach cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer, who visited the Cancer Center for 7 years from March 1995 to July 2002, in each stages from 1 to 4.

It is the first time in Korea that the survival rate by the stages of cancers was surveyed.

The Director of the Cancer Center Kim, Gwi-Un said, “Unlike the general understanding that it is over if one got cancer, it can be cured if discovered early enough,” and “this finding proves the importance of the early diagnosis of cancer, so the government`s plan for activating the early diagnosis is necessary.”

According to this research, the order of number of patients in cancer types is from stomach cancer to liver cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, uterine cervical cancer, breast cancer, and thyroid gland cancer, and in general, the 5-year survival rate of the first stage was 87.8% and 62.9% for the 2nd stage, 30.5% for the 3rd, and 5.5% for the 4th stage.

In case of thyroid gland cancer, 99% were completely cured if discovered in the first stage, and 70% were completely cured even if discovered in the final stage, so it has the highest survival rate.

In case of stomach cancer, 90.4% were completely cured if discovered in the first stage; however, 66.3% in the second stage, 37% in the 3rd stage, and only 4% were completely cured if discovered in the 4th stage.

On the other hand, in case of liver cancer, only 42% of male patients and 37% of female patients could survive 5 years even if discovered in early stage.

The medical circle considers that the cancer is completely cured if a patient survives for 5 years.

The Director Kim said, “Thyroid gland cancer progresses very slowly, so an operation is possible even in the final stage, and relapse rate is low; therefore the survival rate is high,” and “on the other hand, many liver cases are developed from hepatocirrhosis, so although it is discovered in early stage, liver is much damaged; therefore, the survival rate is low.”

The Professor of the Oncology Department of the Yonsei University Noh, Jae-Kyung said, “In case of stomach cancer, the 5-year survival rate of the 3rd period is 37%, and it is higher than that of America with 20 ~ 30% and similar to that of Japan with 40%,” and “is shows that the treatment of stomach cancer in Korea is in the world class.”

The Professor Noh said, “It was a epoch making event to research the survival rate of different types of cancer by stages for 7 years in Korea,” and “the findings of this research can be used as very useful data for medical scholars to study basic and clinical research related to cancer.”

For this research, the Cancer Center checked all the medical records and death warrants of all the cancer patients who were diagnosed and treated here, and for the patients that could not be reached for more than 6 months, telephone calls and postal mails were used to check them.

The Government is doing the early diagnosis campaign of stomach cancer, breast cancer, and uterine cervical cancer for the low-income class older than 40 years; however, an epoch making plan for early discovery of cancer is necessary, such as making the diagnosis for office workers, who are exposed to alcohols and stress, and house wives, who are in dead angled area of cancer diagnosis, as an obligation.

Jin-Han Lee likeday@donga.com