Rapidly Increasing Lung Cancer Patients... 80% of Cases Attributed to Smoking

The number of lung cancer patients is rapidly increasing. This is because the age group that has smoked for a long time is aging and becoming more vulnerable to risk factors that cause lung cancer, and the number of female smokers is also increasing.

According to the National Health Insurance Service on the 25th, the number of lung cancer patients last year was 116,428, an increase of 27.7% compared to 91,192 in 2018, four years ago. The average annual growth rate during this period was 6.3%.

The number of male patients was 70,564, about 1.5 times higher than female patients (45,864). However, the increase rate compared to 2018 was much higher for females at 36.5% than males at 22.5%.

As the number of lung cancer patients increased, the total medical expenses covered by health insurance also grew accordingly. Medical expenses for lung cancer patients increased by 39.9%, from 915 billion won in 2018 to 1.2799 trillion won last year. The per capita medical expense last year was 10.99 million won.

The majority of lung cancer patients were elderly. Those in their 70s accounted for the largest portion at 34.0% (39,541 patients) of the total treated. This was followed by those in their 60s (37,516 patients) at 32.2%, and those aged 80 and above (20,704 patients) at 17.8%, with those aged 60 and above making up 84.0% of the total. This is interpreted as a result of increased cumulative exposure to risk factors over time and weakened immunity against these risk factors with age.

Smoking accounts for 80% of the causes of lung cancer, which refers to malignant tumors in the lungs. It is also known to be associated with high-fat diets, alcohol consumption, and exposure to carcinogens.

Professor Lee Sang-cheol of the Department of Respiratory Allergy at National Health Insurance Ilsan Hospital said, "Smoking is known to be the cause of 80% of lung cancer deaths, making it the most significant cause," and added, "Quitting smoking is the most certain way to prevent lung cancer for smokers."

He also emphasized, "Occupational and environmental factors such as radon exposure and air pollution are also known causes of lung cancer," and advised, "On days with high fine dust concentration, it is best to avoid outdoor activities and wear a mask when going outside."

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