According to the 2023 age-specific mortality rates from the Korea National Statistical Office, the life expectancy for women is 86.4 years, and for men, it is 80.6 years. The gender gap in life expectancy is 5.9 years, showing a decreasing trend from a peak of 8.6 years in 1985. The main causes of death for newborns in 2023 are cancer at 19.1%, pneumonia and heart disease at 10.0%, and cerebrovascular disease at 6.9%. Ultimately, efforts in cancer prevention and management are essential to extend lifespan. Let's revisit lung cancer and pancreatic cancer, which have a relatively high female patient ratio, as a matter of concern.

 

280,000 cancer patients pour in each year... Why are there so many women with lung cancer and pancreatic cancer?

According to the national cancer registration statistics announced in December of last year, there were 277,523 new cancer patients in 2021. For men, the most common cancers were lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, and thyroid cancer, in that order. For women, the most common cancers were breast cancer, thyroid cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and pancreatic cancer, respectively. According to data from the National Statistical Office, the ranking of cancer mortality rates is lung cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and stomach cancer. Cancers with a high risk of death are mostly those that are difficult to detect symptoms early. These are cancers often discovered after metastasis, making treatment challenging.

 

Lung cancer affects 31,616 people... including 10,440 women... Why?

 

Lung cancer ranks third in overall cancer incidence, with 31,616 cases combined for men and women, following thyroid and colon cancers. Although the smoking rate is higher among men with 21,176 cases, women also account for 14,400 cases. When considering age groups, 33.6% are in their 70s, 29.8% in their 60s, and 20.3% are over 80. Unlike other cancers, the high number of patients over 80 may be largely influenced by indirect smoking, due to past family habits of smoking freely. Causes of lung cancer also include air pollution, fine dust, cooking fumes, and radon.

 

Pancreatic cancer: 4,592 men, 4,280 women... "Not much difference"

 

Pancreatic cancer affects a total of 8,872 people, combining men and women, ranking eighth in overall cancer incidence. The primary risk factor is smoking, but there is little difference between genders. There are 4,592 men and 4,280 women. When looking at age groups combined for both genders, the 70s account for the highest percentage at 29.6%, followed by the 60s at 28.5%, and those over 80 at 22.1%. The incidence of pancreatic cancer also appears to be influenced by secondhand smoke. Recently, the association with diabetes has increased, and changes in high-calorie, high-fat dietary habits are also being identified as risk factors.

 

"Women don't get it"... Carelessness is the biggest enemy, the reason why it is discovered after transmission

 

The number of female lung cancer patients exceeding 10,000 annually seems to be influenced by complacency, such as "I don't smoke." People who were heavily exposed to secondhand smoke and cooking fumes in the past should also consider low-dose CT scans, which involve less radiation exposure. Early-stage lung cancer is difficult to detect with X-rays.

 

It is also important to consider the impact of secondhand smoke on pancreatic cancer, and among diabetic patients, those with difficulty controlling blood sugar should also be aware of the potential for cancer development. Both lung and pancreatic cancers have genetic risk factors. If there is a family history, including grandparents, attention should be paid to screenings and lifestyle management. Lung cancer symptoms such as cough are often mistaken for a cold. Chest pain (lung cancer) and abdominal pain (pancreatic cancer) indicate that the cancer may be quite advanced. Efforts should be made to detect cancer early even if there are no symptoms.

 

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Even after a certain stage of progression, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in the country.

It is very difficult to diagnose because there are no other symptoms besides a cough and phlegm similar to a cold.

Due to the effects of air pollution, radon, and fine dust.

The number of female patients who do not smoke is increasing.

Low-dose lung cancer CT helps with early detection.

 

Lung cancer or liver cancer, more than I thought

They say women are more likely to get it.

It's not like diagnosing a cold and doing a CT scan.

 

It seems that early detection is really difficult.