Why should you get cancer treatment in Korea and where to do it?
- The 5-year survival rate for stomach cancer in Korea is the best in the world with a 69.4% survival rate.
- Postoperative cancer mortality in medical centers as Severance shows a higher survival rate than in well-known medical institutions in the United States.
- Large Korean general hospitals have specialized Cancer Centers: these centers are unified systems that cooperate within themselves, which create good conditions for cancer research and a professional approach to cancer treatment.
- Proton therapy is one of the main achievements in the field of radiotherapy in the treatment of cancer. This point radiation of protons is directed only at cancer cells, without damaging other tissues and cells.
- Proton therapy is available only in 29 centers around the world. There are 2 of them in Korea, one of which is our main partner – Samsung Medical Center.
- Da Vinci robotic surgery is one of the types of minimally invasive surgery. This technology allows to make small cuts and provides the patient with a faster recovery. Severance Hospital at Yonsei University is a world-class training center for robotic surgery.
Types of cancer treatment in Korea:
Prostate cancer: is more likely to develop in men over 50. Risk factors include age, family history and race. Nutrition also plays an important role; men who consume large amounts of red and processed meat and dairy products are more likely to be subjects of this disease. In the early stages, it can cause pain when urinating, the appearance of blood in the urine or pains in the pelvic and back areas.
Thyroid cancer: occurs from follicular or parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland. The survival rate for this type of cancer is almost 100% when detected early. In many cases, a nodule in the neck is the first symptom of thyroid cancer. Although only 5% of these nodules can be associated with cancer. Doctors use ultrasound and biopsy to detect thyroid cancer.
Breast cancer: develops in the breast area. There are about 20 different subspecies of breast cancer. Obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, late pregnancy or lack of it, and lack of physical activity are risk factors that increase the potential development of breast cancer. The first noticeable symptom is usually a tumor that differs from the entire breast. We recommend all women to have a medical examination often (once a year). Moreover, to do a mammogram at least once a year.
Lung cancer: develops in the bronchi or alveoli cells. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer, accounting for almost 15% of all cancer cases. People who have smoked more than 30 packs of cigarettes over the past 10 years are recommended to undergo a medical examination.
Liver cancer: in about 75% of all primary cases, it develops from liver cells called hepatocytes. These cells become malignant and form hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver cancer can be divided into 2 types: hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinoma, other types of cancer are very rare. Hepatocellular type of liver cancer occurs in 90% of cases.
Stomach cancer: is a malignant tumor that occurs in the gastric mucosa. The survival rate is very high if the cancer is detected at an early stage, as with many other types of cancer. Some of the symptoms of stomach cancer are digestive disorders or stomach discomfort, nausea after eating, weight loss, heaviness in the stomach and heartburn.
Colon cancer: most cases of colon cancer are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle — obesity, smoking, low physical activity or lack of it, consumption of large amounts of red and processed meat and alcohol consumption. The symptoms may vary, but there are those that are worth paying attention to: blood in the stool, loss of appetite, loss of weight, constipation.
Cervical cancer: it was found that the human papillomavirus is directly related to 90% of cases of cervical cancer. This is the fourth most common type of cancer worldwide. In addition, it is also the fourth most common cause of death among women due to cancer.
Pancreatic cancer: according to statistics for 2017, pancreatic cancer was on the 8th place in terms of the frequency of the disease in Korea, on the 7th in Kazakhstan, while in the USA and Russia on the 4th and 5th places, respectively.
For more information about our medical services for patients undergoing cancer treatment, please follow this link.
