Cancer Incidence and Survival among Adolescents and Young Adults in Korea

Abstract

BackgroundIn Korea, cancer is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). However, cancer incidence and survival trends among AYAs (15–29 years) have never been studied in Korea. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the incidence and relative survival rates and their trends among AYAs in Korea.Materials and MethodsCancer incidence data from 1999–2010 were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR). Each cancer was classified into subgroups according to the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) AYA site recode. Percent distributions, age-specific incidence rates, age-standardized incidence rates per million, and annual percent changes (APCs) were calculated for AYAs according to sex. Five-year relative survival rates were estimated for cases diagnosed between 1993 and 2010 and followed up to 2011.ResultsThe age-standardized incidence rates of all cancers combined were 196.4 and 367.8 per million for males and females, respectively (male-to-female (M/F) ratio: 0.5). The age-standardized incidence rates increased from 208.7 per million in 1999 to 396.4 per million in 2010, and the APC was 6.3% (P<0.001). The five most common cancers among AYAs were thyroid carcinoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stomach carcinoma, breast carcinoma, and acute myeloid leukemia. In males, the 5-year relative survival rate improved, from 46.5% in 1993–1995 to 75.9% in 2006–2010. In females, the 5-year relative survival rate also improved, from 66.7% in 1993–1995 to 89.1% in 2006–2010.ConclusionsOur study showed increases in cancer incidence and improvements in the 5-year relative survival rate among Korean AYAs. This study also provides additional data regarding temporal and geographic trends in cancer that may enhance future efforts to identify factors affecting cancer incidence and responses to treatment among AYAs.

Breast Cancer in Adolescent and Young Adult Women

“…15 In Korea, breast cancer was among the 5 top cancers in AYA women, accounting for 4.9% of all AYA cancers and identified as a cancer with increasing annual incidence in AYA women. 16,17 This trend also has been observed in Hong Kong, where an average annual increase of 3.6% was observed in younger women and not older women. 18 Likewise, the incidence of breast cancer in AYA Taiwanese women has rapidly increased throughout the past 20 years and is approaching the age-adjusted incidence of breast cancer in white Americans.…”

Cancer Incidence Among Adolescents and Young Adults (15 to 29 Years) in Brazil

“…Higher incidence of female was seen in Korea and USA. 2,11 Analysis of the overall age-adjusted incidence rates in this age group shows the highest values in the USA (379 cases per million) and Canada (327 cases per million). 8 Among the countries in which the incidence rate is described in young adults over 24 years of age, higher incidence rates are reported in females compared with males.…”

“…The overall highest incidence rate in this age group is reported in the USA (610 cases per million). 2,11 Lymphomas are the most common cancer diagnosed among AYAs, corresponding to 20% of all cancers affecting this population according to data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. 19 Our present data also indicated that lymphomas were the most frequent tumor type in AYAs, for both sexes and with no differences between the different analyzed age groups.…”

“…Various studies describe this age group as ranging from 15 to 24 or from 15 to 29 years of age, and more recently from 15 to 39 years of age. 5,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] This discrepancy makes it difficult to directly compare the available information in the literature. Recently, we used the newly proposed classification system to reclassify cases within the age group of 15 to 29 years from Brazilian population-based cancer registries (PBCRs).…”

A Systematic Review of Interventions with Siblings of Pediatric Cancer Patients

“…These time periods were chosen to enable direct comparison with earlier studies [10,11]. The relative survival rates for each diagnostic group were calculated by dividing the observed survival by expected survival among comparable groups in the general population according to the Ederer II method.…”