Friday...
March 21st... is Cancer Prevention Day in Korea---a day dedicated to raising awareness...
and encouraging prevention.
Marking the occasion..., we look into how much Koreans are exposed to the devastating
effects of this disease that knows no boundaries... and what can be done to prevent it.
Our Kwon Soa reports.
Cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea,... and the number of cancer patients
in the nation has been on a steady rise in recent years.
From 2001 to 2011, the total nearly doubled.
The most common types of cancer in Korea are gastric cancer and colorectal cancer for men,
and thyroid and breast cancer for women.
One logical reason for the rise is that people are living longer these days.
"If we don't prevent this deadly disease then almost every family will make a big burden
for the treatment of cancer, because the instance at this time is one out of three in adults,
but I predict that it'll be one out of two in the near future, because of aging process."
However, the number of cancer patients in their twenties and thirties is increasing
as well.
Some doctors say that could be because the disease is being detected more effectively
and at earlier stages.
"We have better machines for taking pictures, and particularly ultrasound, and then in Korea
we have probably the best health care system at this time in the world.
So, everybody seems to have routine check-ups."
The nation has 10 Codes of Conduct for Cancer Prevention.
They include not smoking, maintaining a balanced diet, limiting salt and alcohol intake, and
exercising regularly.
"As an old saying, 'cancer prevention is better than treatment' and the World Health Organization
designated March 21st as cancer prevention day.
The Korean government and National Cancer Center Korea recognizes this day... to raise
the public awareness."
"The World Health Organization says a third of all cancers can be averted through preventative
measures... and doctors still stress that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Kwon Soa, Arirang News."