Long-term trends in cancer mortality in Korea (1983-2007): a joinpoint regression analysis

Cancer has been the most common cause of death in Korea since 1983 and is a major public concern. The aim of this study was to analyze the secular trend of cancer mortality in Korea from 1983 to 2007. Mortality and population data from 1983 to 2007 were obtained from the Korea Statistical Office. The annual cancer death rates for 18 age groups were estimated, and joinpoint regression was applied to detect significant changes in cancer mortality. The age-standardized mortality rate for all sites combined increased until the mid-1990s and has been decreasing thereafter, this also being the case for cancers of the esophagus, liver, lung and bladder, as well as leukemia. With stomach and uterine cancers a constant reduction was evident throughout the period. The declines in stomach, liver, and uterine cancer mortality have made major contributions to the recent overall favorable trend. Mortality for cancers of the colon and rectum and the prostate increased in the early 2000s and then leveled off, whereas female breast cancer mortality has displayed a constant increasing trend. In conclusion, overall cancer mortality is decreasing in men and women in Korea, and this trend will probably continue and improve further in line with advances in management as well as the expected impact of the national screening program for major five cancers over the next decades.