title: The basic facts of korean breast cancer in 2011: results of a nationwide survey and breast cancer registry database.
abstract: Breast cancer is the second most frequent malignancy in Korean women, with a continuously increasing incidence. The Korean Breast Cancer Society has constructed a nationwide breast cancer database through an online registration program. The aim of the present study was to report the fundamental facts on Korean breast cancer in 2011, and to analyze the changing patterns in clinical characteristics and breast cancer management in Korea over the last 10 years. Data on newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, including the total number of cases, age, stage, and type of surgery, for the year 2011 were collected from 84 hospitals and clinics nationwide using a questionnaire survey. Additional data relating to the changing patterns of breast cancer in Korea were collected from the online breast cancer registry database and analyzed. According to nationwide survey data, a total of 16,967 patients were newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. The crude incidence of female breast cancer, including invasive cancer and in situ cancer, was 67 cases per 100,000 women. Analysis of the survey and registry data gave equivalent results in terms of age distribution, stage, and type of surgery. The median age at diagnosis was 50 years, and the proportion of postmenopausal women (51.3%) was higher than that of premenopausal women (48.7%) with breast cancer. The incidence of stage 0 and stage I breast cancer increased continuously over the last 10 years (56.3% in 2011), and breast conserving surgery (65.7%) was performed more frequently than total mastectomy (33.8%). The total number of breast reconstruction surgeries increased approximately 8-fold. We conclude that the clinical characteristics of breast cancer have changed over the past 10 years in Korea, and surgical management has changed accordingly. Analysis of nationwide registry data will contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics of breast cancer in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Zisun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chan Seok
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hun Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Jo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Heung Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Hee
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hur
keywords: Breast neoplasms; Korea; Online systems; Registries