Thyroid cancer is the number one cancer afflicting Korean women and it has displaced liver cancer to become the fourth most common cancer in Korea.

Since 2000 the number of patients suffering from thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer has surged while cases of cervical cancer and ovarian cancer have fallen.

The change is attributable to the nation's improving ability to diagnosis cancers and also to the shift in Korea toward a Western-style fatty diet.

According to an analysis by the National Health Insurance Corporation, 131,604 new cancer patients registered with the state-run health insurer in 2006, an increase of 6.3 percent from 2005.

Stomach cancer was the most common cancer, followed by colon cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer and liver cancer. In 2005 thyroid cancer was number five on the list but the number of thyroid cancer patients jumped 25 percent last year.
 

Thyroid cancer has surged particularly among women, becoming the most common cancer among women in 2005, up from seventh in 2001.

Colon cancer has also become more common in Korea. Colon cancer was the third most common cancer until 2004, after stomach cancer and lung cancer. But since 2005, colon cancer has become the second most common cancer in the nation, beating out lung cancer.

The increase in the number of colon cancer patients is attributable to the change in the Korean diet toward a more meat-heavy one.

(englishnews@chosun.com )