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Cholangiocarcinoma is relatively rare, but high incidence rates have been reported in Eastern Asia, especially in Thailand. The etiology of this cancer of the bile ducts appears to be mostly due to specific infectious agents. In 2009, infections with the liver flukes, Clonorchis sinensis or Opistorchis viverrini, were both classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer for cholangiocarcinoma. In addition, a possible association between chronic infection with hepatitis B and C viruses and cholangiocarcinoma was also noted. The meta-analysis of published literature revealed the summary relative risks of infection with liver fluke (both Opistorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis), hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus to be 4.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.8-8.4), 2.6 (95% CI: 1.5-4.6), and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4-2.4), respectively -liver fluke infection being the strongest risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma. Countries where human liver fluke infection is endemic include China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The number of infected persons with Clonorchis sinensis in China has been estimated at 12.5 million with considerable variations among different regions. A significant regional variation in Opistorchis viverrini prevalence was also noted in Thailand (average 9.6% or 6 million people). The implementation of a more intensive preventive and therapeutic program for liver fluke infection may reduce incidence rates of cholangiocarcinoma in endemic areas. Recently, advances have been made in the diagnosis and management of cholangiocarcinoma. Although progress on cholangiocarcinoma prevention and treatment has been steady, more studies related to classification and risk factors will be helpful to develop an advanced strategy to cure and prevent cholangiocarcinoma. (Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 579-585) C holangiocarcinomas (CCAs) -primarily cancers of the epithelial cells (mostly adenocarcinoma) in the bile ducts arising anywhere along the intrahepatic or extrahepatic biliary tree (1,2) -are relatively rare, but high incidence rates have been reported in Eastern Asia, especially in Thailand.(3) CCAs are highly fatal tumours, as they are clinically silent in the majority of cases.(4-9) Fortunately, survival of this cancer is improving.CCA occurs with a highly varying frequency in different areas of the world. CCA is second-most common primary liver cancer and accounted for an estimated 15% of primary liver cancer worldwide;(3) however, it varies widely by region from 5% in Japan (11) and 20% in Pusan (Busan), Korea (12) to 90% in Khon Kaen in Thailand. Recently, a rising tendency of intrahepatic CCA incidence was reported in Western countries. (13)(14)(15)(16) The reasons for this increase are not clear, but some of these increases were attributed to the switch between coding systems going from International Classification of Disease-Oncology-2 (ICD-O-2) to ICD-O-3.The etiology of CCA in Asian countries appears to be mostly linked to infections, especially infections wi...

Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Korea. Korea is facing a very rapid change and increase in cancer incidence, which draws much attention in public health. This paper overviews the nationwide cancer statistics, including incidence, mortality, and survival rates, and their trends in Korea based on the cancer incidence data from The Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) in year 2006 and 2007. In Korea, there were 153,237 cancer cases and 65,519, cancer deaths observed in 2006, and 161,920 cancer cases and 67,561 cancer deaths in 2007, respectively. The incidence rate for all cancer combined showed an annual increase of 2.8% from 1999 to 2007. Specifically, there was significant increase in the incidence of colorectal, thyroid, female breast, and prostate cancers. The number of cancer deaths has increased over the past two decades, due mostly to population aging, while the age-standardized mortality rates have decreased in both men and women since 2002. Notable improvement has been observed in the 5-yr relative survival rates for most major cancers and for all cancer combined, with the exception of pancreatic cancer. The nationwide cancer statistics in this paper will provide essential data for cancer research and evidence-based health policy in Korea.

Compared with the West, the overall incidence of lymphoid neoplasms is lower, and the subtype distribution is distinct in Asia. To comprehensively investigate the subtype distribution with the age and sex factors, and temporal changes of subtype proportions, we re-assessed all patients with lymphoid neoplasms diagnosed at a large oncology service in the Republic of Korea from 1989 to 2008 using the World Health Organization classifications. Of the total 5,318 patients, 66.9% had mature B-cell neoplasms, 12.5% had mature T/natural killer (NK)-cell neoplasms, 16.4% had precursor lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL/LBL), and 4.1% had Hodgkin's lymphoma. The most common subtypes were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (30.5%), plasma cell myeloma (14.0%), extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT lymphoma; 12.4%), B-cell ALL/LBL (11.3%), Hodgkin's lymphoma (4.1%), peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (4.0%), T-cell ALL/LBL (3.9%), and extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma of nasal type (3.9%). Most subtypes showed male predominance, with an average M/F ratio of 1.3. Most mature lymphoid neoplasms were diseases of adults (mean age, 53.5 yr), whereas ALL/LBLs were of young individuals (mean age, 20.3 yr). When the relative proportion of subtypes were compared between two decades (1989-1998 vs. 1999-2008), especially MALT lymphoma has increased in proportion, whereas T/NK-cell neoplasms and ALL/LBL have slightly decreased. In summary, the lymphoid neoplasms of Koreans shared some epidemiologic features similar to those of other countries, whereas some subtypes showed distinct features. Although the increase in incidence of lymphoid neoplasms is relatively modest in Korea, recent increase of MALT lymphoma and decrease of T/NK-cell neoplasms and ALL/LBL are interesting findings. Am. J. Hematol. 85:760-764, 2010. V V C 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. IntroductionLymphoid neoplasms are a diverse group of neoplasms with different clinical presentations, histology, and biology [1,2]. Recent revolutionary advances in immunology, genetics, and molecular biology have resulted in extensive changes in the classifications of these tumors, culminating in the Revised European-American classification (1994) and its successor, the World Health Organization (WHO) classification (2001 and 2008) [1][2][3]. Both Revised European-American and WHO classifications encompass not only Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) but also plasma cell neoplasm and lymphoid leukemia, acknowledging that lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia represent solid and circulating phases, respectively, of the same disease [1][2][3]. Lymphoid neoplasms are the sixth most common malignancy worldwide [4,5], but there are marked geographic variations, with the highest rates observed in North America and Australia, followed by Europe, and lower rates throughout Asia [4,5].There are ethnic and regional differences in the distribution of subtypes. For example, populations of Asian countries have higher proportions of mature T/natural k...

The Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) series comprises nine volumes that bring together peer-reviewed results from population-based cancer registries worldwide. The aim of each is to make available comparable data on cancer incidence from as wide a range of geographical locations as possible. In addition, the existence of long time series of data allows the evolution of risk in different populations over time to be studied. The CI5 I-IX database brings together the results from all nine volumes, spanning a period of some 50 years. In addition, unpublished annual data, with more diagnostic detail, are made available for many cancer registries with 15 or more years of recent data. We describe the construction and composition of the CI5 databases, and provide examples of how they can be used to prepare tables and graphs comparing incidence rates between populations. This is the classical role of descriptive statistics: to allow formulation of hypotheses that might explain the observed differences (geographically, over time, in population subgroups) and that can be tested by further study. Such statistics are also essential components in the planning and evaluation of cancer control programmes.The Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) series, started in the 1960s, brings together incidence data meeting acceptable quality criteria from population-based cancer registries throughout the world. In the foreword to volume I, the editors explained: 'The most valuable data [amongst the sources available for the comparative study of cancer incidence], are undoubtedly, the rates obtained by recording the occurrence of every case of cancer over a specified period'.1 The overall objective of the series has been, therefore, to make available comparable data on cancer incidence from as wide a range of geographical locations worldwide as possible. At the same time, no attempt was made at exhaustive inclusion of all eligible data sets-indeed, it was specifically noted that some were excluded, if a particular country was already well represented. The series has continued to develop according to these broad principlesstressing geographic (and ethnic) diversity of the data included, while adhering to various criteria of quality, which have gradually evolved in complexity and stringency. The volumes include tabulations of cancer incidence rates in three basic formats:• Registry-specific tables showing incidence rates according to sex, age group and cancer site; • tables of summary rates for each cancer site, permitting comparisons between registries;• tables presenting certain simple indices of the validity and completeness of the different contributions.A description of each contributing registry is provided, but there is no commentary on the results.The volumes have been published at 5-year intervals, the first two by the International Union Against Cancer, 1,2 while the next seven were a collaboration between the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the International Association of Cancer Registries.3-9 Volume...

Purpose:The first Korean national population-based cancer registry using nationwide hospital-based recording system and the regional cancer registries provided the source to obtain national cancer incidences for the period 1999～2001.M aterials and Methods: The incidence of cancer in Korea was calculated based on the Korea Central Cancer Registry database, data from additional medical record review survey, the Regional Cancer Registry databases, site-specific cancer registry databases, and cancer mortality data from the Korea National Statistical Office. Crude and age-standardized rates were calculated by sex for 18 age groups.Results: The overall crude incidence rates (CR) were 247.3 and 188.3 per 100,000 for men and women and the overall age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) were 281.2 and 160.3 per 100,000, respectively. Among men, five leading primary cancer sites were stomach (CR 58.6, ASR 65.6), lung (CR 42.1, ASR 50.9), liver (CR 41.9, ASR 44.9), colon and rectum (CR 24.2, ASR 27.3) and bladder (CR 7.7, ASR 9.2). Among women, the most common cancers were stomach (CR 30.8, ASR 25.8), breast (CR 25.7, ASR 21.7), colon and rectum (CR 19.6, ASR 16.7), uterine cervix (CR 18.4, ASR 15.5), and lung cancer (CR 15.1, ASR 12.4). In 0～14 age group, leukemia was most common for both sexes. For men, stomach cancer was most common in 15～64 age group, but lung cancer was more frequent for over 65 age group. For women, thyroid cancer in 15～34 age group, breast cancer in 35～64 age group, and stomach cancer in over 65 age group were most common for each age group. The proportions of death certificate only were 7.5% for men and 7.4% for women.Conclusion: This is the first attempt to determine the national cancer incidence and this data will be useful to plan for research and national cancer control in Korea.