South Korea Has the Lowest Cancer Mortality Rate Among Developed Countries... Also the Lowest Per Capita Medical Expenses

South Korea Has the Highest Proportion of Cancer Treatment Costs in Total Medical Expenses... Cancer Treatment Costs Themselves Are Relatively Low

A study has revealed that South Korea has the lowest cancer mortality rate per 100,000 people among 22 advanced countries worldwide.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] A study has revealed that South Korea has the lowest cancer mortality rate per 100,000 people among 22 advanced countries worldwide.

A research team from Yale University School of Medicine in the United States published the results of their study titled "Comparison of Cancer-Related Expenditures and Mortality Rates in the US and 21 High-Income Countries" on the 27th in the JAMA Health Forum.

The research team conducted a comparative analysis of healthcare costs, cancer treatment expenses, and cancer mortality rates in 22 high-income countries, including the US, Australia, the UK, and Japan, from September last year to March this year.

According to the study, the median number of cancer deaths per 100,000 people among the 22 countries was 91.4. South Korea recorded the lowest rate at 75.5. Japan recorded 81.5, the US 86.3, and Denmark had the highest rate at 113.7 cancer deaths per 100,000 people.

After adjusting for smoking status, South Korea still had the lowest rate at 50.1.

South Korea also had the lowest total healthcare expenditure per capita. The average total healthcare expenditure per capita among the 22 countries was $5,386.30 (approximately 6,664,500 KRW), while South Korea recorded $2,600 (about 3,217,000 KRW), the lowest figure. The US and Switzerland had the highest per capita total healthcare expenditures at $10,945 (about 13,540,000 KRW) and $9,629 (11,912,000 KRW), respectively.

Additionally, although South Korea had the highest proportion of total healthcare expenditure allocated to cancer treatment, the actual amount spent on cancer treatment was the eighth lowest among the 22 countries due to its overall lower healthcare spending.

The research team concluded, "We found that cancer treatment costs are not related to cancer mortality rates. The US spent more on cancer treatment than any other country, but this was not associated with significantly lowering cancer mortality rates." They added, "Understanding how other countries achieve lower cancer mortality rates with a fraction of the US's treatment expenditure could be useful for future researchers, clinicians, or policymakers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.