Journal of Chest Surgery (Jan 2025)

Current Trends in the Epidemiology and Treatment of Esophageal Cancer in South Korea

  • Hye Weon Kim,
  • Seong Yong Park

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5090/jcs.24.078
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 58, no. 1
pp. 15 – 20

Abstract

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According to 2021 statistics, esophageal cancer ranked as the 18th most common cancer and the 10th leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Korea, predominantly manifesting as squamous cell carcinoma. The incidence of esophageal cancer in Korea has been on a gradual decline, while the proportion of early-stage diagnoses has increased, leading to an improvement in the 5-year relative survival rate. The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, reports that around 800 esophagectomy procedures are performed each year. However, due to the absence of recent updates, there is a pressing need to establish a comprehensive nationwide registry or database for esophageal cancer and esophagectomy.

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