• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.673-677
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• 2013

Introduction: Capture-recapture methods have been suggested for reducing costs of disease registration as well as reducing bias in incidence estimations. This study aimed to estimate the gastric cancer incidence in the Tehran metropolis population during 2002-2006. Materials and Methods: We investigated new cases of gastric cancer reported by three sources; death certificates, pathology reports, and medical records to Tehran population-based cancer registry during 2002-2006. $G^2$ statistics and the two-source capture-recapture method were used to select the best-fitted log-linear model and to estimate incidence, respectively. EXCEL software version 2007 and SPSS software version 16 were used for this research. Results: The number of reported cases was 4,463, with an average age of 68.5 (${\pm}12.9$) years. We found the model that combined two sources of data including pathology reports and medical records and furthermore complemented by death certificates as the best model. The reported and the estimated incidences were 11.0 and 27.1 per 100,000 respectively. Conclusions: The incidence estimated by two-source capture-recapture method is about three times higher than the incidence reported by the sources under investigation. It is recommended to move towards the implementation of population-based cancer registration using various sources of data collection to achieve more accurate data.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.322-330
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• 2002

Objective: This study was conducted to automatically improve the completeness and validity of the Daegu Cancer Registry, using cross record linkage of many data sources, and to develop a computerized patient enrollment system for efficient communication among cancer researchers via the internet. Method: We analyzed 10,229 cancer patients who were reported in the National Cancer Registry, and from pathological reports, health insurance cancer claims lists, cancer patient records at hospital information centers and death certificates from the Korea National Statistical Office. Result: We confirmed 4,624 cancer patients and found 897 of new cases from a review of medical chart. The new cases were detected efficiently using cross record linkage. We developed a computerized patient enrollment system, based on a client-sewer model, for the input of cancer patients, and then developed a web-based reporting homepage and patient enrollment system for the internet. Conclusion: This system could manage cancer databases systematically, and could be given to other researchers as a basic database.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4939-4942
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• 2013

The absolute necessity of cancer registration for cancer control planning is well accepted. The registry at the national or local level can provide not only essential data for cancer incidence, mortality and survival but may also point to risk and protective factors and efficacy of interventions by conducting epidemiological research. Timely publication of research findings in PubMed indexed journals is of the essence, especially in examples that allow free access so that the widest dissemination of information can be achieved. The present commentary covers the scope of research in Asia or using Asian data the period 2008-2013, nearly 40% of a total of over 300 papers being published in the APJCP. In order to reach its full potential the registry should incorporate many skills. Cooperation for this purpose, whether it be national, regional, Asia-wide or international, is a high priority and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, together with the National Cancer Institute in Thailand and the APOCP/APJCP are staging an Asian Cancer Network Forum in Bangkok in February of 2014 to allow discussion of ways forward. It is hoped that representatives from all regions of Asia will decide to attend and a l so contribute country reports for publication in a special supplement of the APJCP.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.731-736
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• 2015

Background: Little is known about the news coverage of cancer risk factors in Korea. This study aimed to examine how the news media encompasses a wide array of content regarding cancer risk factors and related cancer sites, and investigate whether news coverage of cancer risk factors is congruent with the actual prevalence of the disease. Materials and Methods: A content analysis was conducted on 1,138 news stories covered during a 5-year period between 2008 and 2012. The news stories were selected from nationally representative media in Korea. Information was collected about cancer risk factors and cancer sites. Results: Of various cancer risk factors, occupational and environmental exposures appeared most frequently in the news. Breast cancer was mentioned the most in relation to cancer sites. Breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancer were overrepresented in the media in comparison to incidence and mortality cases, whereas lung, thyroid, liver, and stomach cancer were underrepresented. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this research is the first investigation dealing with news coverage about cancer risk factors in Korea. The study findings show occupational and environmental exposures are emphasized more than personal lifestyle factors; further, more prevalent cancers in developed countries have greater media coverage, not reflecting the realities of the disease. The findings may help health journalists and other health storytellers to develop effective ways to communicate cancer risk factors.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.415-422
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• 2023

Backgrounds/Aims: Although cancer survivors are at higher risk of developing second primary malignancies, cancer surveillance strategies for them have not yet been established. This study aimed to identify first primary cancers that had high risks of developing second primary exocrine pancreatic cancer (EPC). Methods: Data on individuals diagnosed with primary cancers between 1993 and 2017 were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of second primary EPCs were analyzed according to the primary tumor sites and follow-up periods. Results: Among the 3,205,840 eligible individuals, 4,836 (0.15%) had second primary EPCs, which accounted for 5.8% of the total EPC patients in Korea. Between 1 and 5 years after the diagnosis of first primary cancers, SIRs of second primary EPCs were increased in patients whose first primary cancers were in the bile duct (males 2.99; females 5.03) in both sexes, and in the small intestine (3.43), gallbladder (3.21), and breast (1.26) in females. Among those who survived 5 or more years after the diagnosis of first primary cancers, SIRs of second primary EPCs were elevated in patients whose first primary cancers were in the bile duct (males 2.61; females 2.33), gallbladder (males 2.29; females 2.22), and kidney (males 1.39; females 1.73) in both sexes, and ovary (1.66) and breast (1.38) in females. Conclusions: Survivors of first primary bile duct, gallbladder, kidney, ovary, and female breast cancer should be closely monitored for the occurrence of second primary EPCs, even after 5 years of follow-up.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2019

Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the incidence continues to rise. Although many prognostic factors have been identified, the clinical characteristics and outcomes in Korean lung cancer patients are not well defined. Methods: Of the 23,254 new lung cancer cases registered at the Korea Central Cancer Registry in 2013, total 489 patients from 19 hospitals were abstracted by the Korean Central Cancer Registry. The clinical data retrospectively analyzed, patients were followed up until December 2015. Results: The median age was 69 years (interquartile range, 60-74 years); 65.4% were male and 62.1% were ever-smokers. Cough was the most common initial symptom (33.5%); 13.1% of patients were asymptomatic. While squamous cell carcinoma was the most common subtype in male patients (37.2%), adenocarcinoma was the most frequent histological type in all patients (48.7%) and females (76.3%). The majority of patients received treatment (76.5%), which included surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Older age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.037), lower body mass index (HR, 0.904), ever-smoker (HR, 2.003), small cell lung cancer (HR, 1.627), and distant metastasis (HR, 3.990) were independent predictors of mortality. Patients without symptoms (HR, 0.387) and without treatment (HR, 0.364) were associated with a favorable outcome in multivariate Cox analysis. Conclusion: Lung cancer in Korea occurs predominantly in elderly patients, with adenocarcinoma being the most frequent subtype. The prognosis was poorer in ever-smokers and older, malnourished, and untreated patients with advanced lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1371-1376
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• 2012

Background: Economic status is known to be directly or indirectly related to cancer incidence since it affects accessibility to health-related social resources, preventive medical checkups, and lifestyle. This study investigates the relationship between cancer incidence and family income in Korea. Methods:Using the Korean National Health Insurance cancer registration data in 2009, the relationship between their family income class and cancer risk was analyzed. The age-standardized incidence rates of the major cancers were calculated for men and women separately. After adjusting for age, residential area, and number of family members, cancer risks for major cancers according to family income class were estimated using a logistic regression model. Results: In men, the risk of stomach cancer for Income Class 5 (lowest) was 1.12 times (95% CI 1.02-1.23) higher than that of Income Class 1 (highest), for lung cancer 1.61 times (95% CI 1.43-1.81) higher, for liver cancer 1.22 times (95% CI 1.08-1.37) higher, and for rectal cancer 1.37 times higher (95% CI 1.18-1.59). In women, the risk of stomach cancer for Income Class 5 was 1.22 times higher (95% CI 1.08-1.37) than that for Income Class 1, while for cervical cancer it was 2.47 times higher (95% CI 2.08-2.94). In contrast, in men, Income Class 1 showed a higher risk of thyroid cancer and prostate cancer than that of Income Class 5, while, in women the same was the case for thyroid cancer. Conclusions: The results show the relationship between family income and cancer risk differs according to type of cancer.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.30 no.1_2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2018

Purpose : Proton Therapy using Bragg-peak, because it has distinct characteristics in providing maximum dosage for tumor and minimal dosage for normal tissue, a medical imaging system that can quantify changes in patient position or treatment area is of paramount importance to the treatment of protons. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the usefulness of the algorithm by comparing the image matching through the set-up and in-house code through the existing dips program by producing a Matlab-based in-house registration code to determine the error value between dips and DRR to evaluate the accuracy of the existing treatment. Materials and Methods : Thirteen patients with brain tumors and head and neck cancer who received proton therapy were included in this study and used the DIPS Program System (Version 2.4.3, IBA, Belgium) for image comparison and the Eclipse Proton Planning System (Version 13.7, Varian, USA) for patient treatment planning. For Validation of the Registration method, a test image was artificially rotated and moved to match the existing image, and the initial set up image of DIPS program of existing set up process was image-matched with plan DRR, and the error value was obtained, and the usefulness of the algorithm was evaluated. Results : When the test image was moved 0.5, 1, and 10 cm in the left and right directions, the average error was 0.018 cm. When the test image was rotated counterclockwise by 1 and $10^{\circ}$, the error was $0.0011^{\circ}$. When the initial images of four patients were imaged, the mean error was 0.056, 0.044, and 0.053 cm in the order of x, y, and z, and 0.190 and $0.206^{\circ}$ in the order of rotation and pitch. When the final images of 13 patients were imaged, the mean differences were 0.062, 0.085, and 0.074 cm in the order of x, y, and z, and 0.120 cm as the vector value. Rotation and pitch were 0.171 and $0.174^{\circ}$, respectively. Conclusion : The Matlab-based In-house Registration code produced through this study showed accurate Image matching based on Intensity as well as the simple image as well as anatomical structure. Also, the Set-up error through the DIPS program of the existing treatment method showed a very slight difference, confirming the accuracy of the proton therapy. Future development of additional programs and future Intensity-based Matlab In-house code research will be necessary for future clinical applications.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.92-101
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the trend of non-compliance with treatment (NCT) among gastric cancer patients in the Korean population. Materials and Methods: Using data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry from 1999 to 2015, patients who did not receive any treatment for gastric cancer within 4 months after diagnosis were defined as the NCT group. The annual incidence rate, distributions according to age group and stage, and 5-year relative survival of the patients exhibiting NCT were analyzed. Results: The number of NCT patients was 5,871 (30.6%) in 1999 and continuously decreased to 4,434 (15.3%) in 2015. Between 2006 and 2015, the proportions of NCT patients decreased from 72.9% to 55.0% among those 80 years old or older and from 9.2% to 5.4% among patients younger than 40 years. In patients with distant metastases, this proportion decreased from 35.5% to 32.7%, and this proportion also decreased from 17.6% to 8.2% among those with localized disease. The 5-year relative survival rates of NCT patients between 2011 and 2015 were significantly lower than those of the treated patients in each stage (60.2% vs. 99.7%, 13.8% vs. 67.1%, and 2.0% vs. 8.3% among those with localized, regional, and distant disease, respectively). Conclusions: The proportion of NCT gastric cancer patients has decreased during the last 16 years. However, considerable numbers of elderly patients are still NCT. There must be a strategy to decrease NCT and improve the nationwide survival rate of patients with gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2841-2846
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• 2016

Background: Tobacco use is the single most important preventable risk factor for cancer. Surveillance of tobacco-related cancers (TRC) is critical for monitoring trends and evaluating tobacco control programmes. We analysed the trends of TRC and evaluated the population-based cancer registry (PBCR) in Delhi for simplicity, comparability, validity, timeliness and representativeness. Materials and Methods: We interviewed key informants, observed registry processes and analysed the PBCR dataset for the period 1988-2009 using the 2009 TRC definition of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We calculated the percentages of morphologically verified cancers, death certificate-only (DCO) cases, missing values of key variables and the time between cancer diagnosis and registration or publication for the year 2009. Results: The number of new cancer cases increased from 5,854 to 15,244 (160%) during 1988-2009. TRC constituted 58% of all cancers among men and 47% among women in 2009. The age-adjusted incidence rates of TRC per 100,000 population increased from 64.2 to 97.3 among men, and from 66.2 to 69.2 among women during 1988-2009. Data on all cancer cases presenting at all major government and private health facilities are actively collected by the PBCR staff using standard paper-based forms. Data abstraction and coding is conducted manually following ICD-10 classifications. Eighty per cent of cases were morphologically verified and 1% were identified by death certificate only. Less than 1% of key variables had missing values. The median time to registration and publishing was 13 and 32 months, respectively. Conclusions: The burden of TRC in Delhi is high and increasing. The Delhi PBCR is well organized and generates high-quality, representative data. However, data could be published earlier if paper-based data are replaced by electronic data abstraction.