Esophageal Cancer in Korea: Epidemiology and Treatment Patterns

According to statistics from 2017, esophageal cancer is the fifteenth most common cancer and the eleventh most common cause of cancer-related death in Korea. The most common pathology is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, the incidence of esophageal cancer has been gradually decreasing in Korea, and the percentage of early-stage cases has gradually increased to the point that it is higher than that of other countries. The 5-year relative survival rate has improved over time. Approximately 800 esophagectomy procedures are performed annually. Using a cut-off number of 21 cases per 2 years to define high-volume centers, it was found that 70% of esophagectomies were performed by a few high-volume centers. Unfortunately, there is no nationwide registry or database on esophageal cancer and esophagectomy in Korea. Efforts to establish a nationwide database on esophageal cancer and esophagectomy should be made.