Cancer
Cancer-Specific Standardized Incidence Ratio in a Cohort of Health Screening Participants in Korea Sun Ha* Sun Ha Jee Keum Ji Jung Da Hye Kang
Background: Prospective cohorts composed of the general population visiting health screening centers are sometimes utilized in epidemiological research. However, studies comparing cancer-specific incidence risks in these cohorts with those of a stable general population are rare. This study analyzed whether cancer risks among individuals visiting health screening centers in Korea differ from those of the overall Korean population.
Methods: The Korean Cancer Prevention Study-II (KCPS-II) is a prospective cohort established between 2004 and 2013, comprising 159,844 participants who visited 18 health screening centers nationwide for routine health examinations. Cancer incidence among the participants was identified annually from 2004 to 2021 through linkage with the National Cancer Center’s cancer registry database. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the cohort, and SIRs were further analyzed by sex and age group.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 41.28 years (standard deviation, 10.36 years), with an average follow-up duration of 13.5 years (2,087,619 person-years). A total of 11,278 cancer cases (7.3%) were identified. The overall cancer risk in the cohort was similar to that of the general population, with an SIR of 98.9 (95% CI, 97.1–100.7). By sex, the SIR was higher in females (110.9; 95% CI, 107.9–114.1) and lower in males (91.0; 95% CI, 88.8–93.3). Among age groups, SIRs were above 100 for all age groups between 20 and 49 years but declined to 100 or below in participants aged 50 years and older. For thyroid cancer, the SIR was 123.9 (95% CI, 118.9–129.1), with a higher value in males (182.6; 95% CI, 171.4–194.6) than in females (100.5; 95% CI, 95.2–106.0). Age-specific analysis revealed that SIRs were above 100 for participants younger than 60 years but fell below 100 for those aged 60 years or older.
Conclusion: The overall cancer incidence risk in the cohort established with health screening participants was similar to that of the general population. However, differences in SIRs were observed for specific cancers, including thyroid cancer.
This study was supported by BasgenBio, the National Cancer Center (HA21C0142), and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (HI20C0517).