Why Cancer in Korea
Korea is one of the top countries in Cancer Treatment which includes performing the most complex operations and researching cancer studies constantly. Thanks to the tremendous national efforts to eradicate cancer, the overall 5-year survival rate for cancer patients treated in Korea has been steadily increasing and was up to 70.4% most recently. Comparing to other medically-advanced countries in the world, clinical outcomes of cancer patients in Korea are better Medical services provided at Korean hospitals that are now competing with the world’s best hospitals in all aspects including healthcare systems, facilities as well as treatment techniques.
- Stomach Cancer
Operations and Procedures
– Laparoscopic gastric cancer operation with intracorporeal anastomosis
– Endoscopic submucosal dissection
- Korean technique used for gastric cancer treatment has been recognized as a global standard and is listed in the gastric cancer guidelines of NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network)
- As many as 1,000 foreign doctors come to Korea annually in order to learn these advanced treatment techniques
- World’s highest survival rate and surgical volume of operations
International Comparison of 5-Year Survival Rates for Stomach Cancer
- Liver Cancer
Operations and Procedures
– Living-donor liver transplantation
– Radiofrequency ablation
- About 50% survival rate for Stages 1 and 2 liver cancer cases where curative treatment options are available including liver transplantation surgery and local ablation
- World’s best living-donor liver transplantation technique
- First to perform 2:1 liver transplantation, ABO incompatible liver transplantation and Bloodless liver transplantation
International Comparison of 5-year Survival Rates for Liver Cancer
- Colon Cancer
Operations and Procedures
– Minimally-invasive laparoscopic colorectal cancer operation
– Sphincter-saving procedure for low rectal cancer
- Survival rates of 95-98% for Stage 1 colorectal cancer cases and the world’s highest survival rate even for advanced colorectal cancer patients
- First in the world to successfully perform both operations and has attained the highest level of clinical outcomes.
- Surgery performed successfully for the world’s oldest patient at 102 years of age
International Comparison of 5-year Survival Rates for Colon Cancer
- Breast Cancer
Operations and Procedures
– Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB)
– Breast conserving surgery
- World’s highest survival rates
- The World’s first study to prove the safety and feasibility in SLNB in breast cancer patients clinically suspected of axillary lymph node metastasis, which now serves as the standard for breast cancer surgery
- Top class Oncoplastic reconstruction techniques with free tumor margins and immediate breast reconstruction by utilizing world renowned plastic surgery
International Comparison of 5-year Survival Rates for Breast Cancer
- Thyroid Cancer
Operations and Procedures
– Endoscopic thyroidectomy
– Robotic thyroidectomy
- World’s highest survival rates reaching 99.8%
- The largest number of foreign patients coming to Korea for thyroid cancer treatment
- Developed the world’s first advanced robotic thyroidectomy in order to improve the quality of life through incisions in the armpit rather than through the neck
International Comparison of 5-year Survival Rates for Thyroid Cancer
- Lung Cancer
Operations and Procedures
– Bronchoplasty
– Stereotactic radiation therapy
- World’s best treatment outcomes for Stages 2 and 3 lung cancer patients
- World’s largest cumulative volume of lung cancer surgeries performed by a single center(more than 5,000 cases)
- Achieved much higher 5-year survival rate of 62.8% than the worldwide average rate in Brochoplasty where patients could preserve the lungs as much as possible with minimal complications
International Comparison of 5-year Survival Rates for Lung Cancer
Advanced Treatment
- The Most Advanced Medical Technology
Korea provides high-quality medical services by utilizing state-of-the-art equipments for cancer treatment in order to promote trust in the treatment and improve the quality of life with the objective of “living a normal life during precision cancer treatment with minimum side effects”.
Proton Therapy
The protons from radiation selectively attack cancer cells to minimize normal-tissue damage and harmful side effects. This novel therapy is only available at Korea’s National Cancer Center as well as 28 other hospitals in the world. Moreover, the number of international cancer patients travelling to Korea has been increasing since the treatment fees in Korea are as low as one-fifth of those in USA.
Cyberknife
The most advanced medical device selectively tracks and removes cancerous tissues without surgical operation, taking organ movement and breathing of the patient into consideration. The cost of this treatment in Korea is one-third of that in USA.
Robotic Surgery
The use of this minimally-invasive Robotic Surgery is flourishing in Korea. Consequently, Korea has earned a reputation as the “Mecca” of robotic surgery in the world. Furthermore, Korean hospitals run robotic surgery training centers where a large number of doctors across the world visit annually to observe technological advancements.
- Unparalleled Cancer Care Process and Infrastructure
Korean Cancer Centers lead the world in terms of their top tier infrastructure for patient care in designing individually tailored cancer treatments, building optimal cancer care delivery systems, driving international cooperation and sharing advanced medical technologies via training programs.
Cancer Center
Korea reorganized cancer care system to be more disease-centered by establishing cancer centers so that all relevant faculties of departments are involved in making treatment decisions more promptly. The center provides one-stop system of full support for prevention, examination, treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare. In Korea, most university hospitals and high-level general hospitals including government-designated 12 local cancer centers provide the world’s top cancer treatments.
Multidisciplinary Approach
World-renowned multidisciplinary care teams of medical oncologists, radiation therapists and other cancer specialists work closely together under one roof to provide truly dedicated cancer treatments.
Fast Track System
When a patient is diagnosed with cancer or is referred from cooperating community hospitals, a multidisciplinary team from the cancer center confirms the examination results, verifies the patient’s status, plans the treatment, arranges for additional examinations if needed. The team admits to initiate the treatment within 1 to 2 weeks depending on the status of the patient and the waiting time is considerably reduced this way.
