title: Non-cancer mortality among long-term survivors of adult cancer in Korea: national cancer registry study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the pattern of non-cancer deaths and to determine whether there is excess mortality from non-cancer causes among Korean long-term survivors of adult cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We merged national cancer registry data and national death registration data to determine non-cancer death patterns of 243,713 people who were diagnosed with cancer from 1993 to 2000 and who survived > or =5 years. We calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) by an indirect standardization method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the patient population, 26,498 (10.9%) had died as of December 2005; the cause of death for 6,364 (24.0%) of those was not cancer. The proportion of non-cancer mortality increased with age at diagnosis and correlated with the 5-year survival rate (r = 0.336 for women, 0.571 for men). Although the risk for non-cancer death was lower among long-term survivors in general (SMR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.76-0.80), it was higher among younger survivors (SMR, 1.23-2.50, for those who died before 50) than the general population. Survivors had an elevated suicide rate (SMR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.15-1.42), especially male (SMR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.19-1.53) and stomach cancer survivors (SMR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.14-1.66).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Appropriate medical attention for long-term adult cancer survivors, especially younger survivors, is warranted to prevent premature deaths from non-cancer causes.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Control Institute (NCCI) and Hospital, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsanro, Ilsan dong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 411-769, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Eunmi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Hyerim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sohee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Ae
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D009423:Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D010361:Patients; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*