Background: Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea, primarily due to tobacco smoking, which is a modifiable risk factor. The impact of smoking status and gender on lung cancer burden had not been sufficiently quant...
Background: Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea, primarily due to tobacco smoking, which is a modifiable risk factor. The impact of smoking status and gender on lung cancer burden had not been sufficiently quantified. This study aimed to estimate the lung cancer burden attributable to smoking using disability- adjusted life years (DALYs) across Korean men and women. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a one-million representative database from 2004 to 2010, provided by the Korea National Health Insurance Service Database (NHIS). We also utilized demographic and behavioral information obtained from the databases of the screening table database, as well as newly diagnosed cases and death cases from the birth and death table and the medical treatment table. We identified new lung cancer and death cases using Korean Classification of Diseases (KCD) codes “C33” and” C34”, and then stratified by smoking status and sex. Yearly age- standardized DALYs rate (ASDR), comprising age-standardized years of life lost rate (AS YLL) and age-standardized years lost due to disability rate (AS YLD), were calculated per 100,000 population. Results: From the one million cohort data over 2005 to 2010, we found 373 new cases of lung cancer and 35 deaths. The yearly mean ASDR was 424; (95% CI: 147-701) per 100,000. The ASDR was highest among former smokers, 230 (95% CI: 52-409) per 100,000, followed by never smokers (115 (95% CI: 46-184) per 100,000), and among current smokers (78 (95% CI: 38-118) per 100,000). Yearly mean males ASDR was significantly higher than that of females (353 vs 70 per 100,000), primarily due to premature mortality. In contrast, among females, ASYLD accounted for the majority of ASDRs. Conclusion: The ASDR of lung cancer in South Korea has been significantly influenced by smoking history; especially for men, former smoking, and age. However, among females, we found that the ASDR is relatively increasing in the group of current smokers, compared to former or never smokers. These findings emphasize the urgent need for gender-sensitive smoking cessation programs, improved early screening initiatives, and stricter regulations on tobacco.