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Lee, Lee, Min, and Kim: Occupational cancer claims in Korea from 2010 to 2016
Research Article

Ann Occup Environ Med 2018;30(1):64.

Published online: 4 February 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-018-0272-6

Occupational cancer claims in Korea from 2010 to 2016

Kyungjoon Lee1, Sujin Lee1, Jeehee Min1, Inah Kim2, *

1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, 222–1 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea

2Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea

*Correspondence: inahkim@hanyang.ac.kr 2Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea Full list of author information is available at the end of the article

      Revised 13 June 2018       Accepted 21 September 2018

Copyright © 2018 Korean Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background

Research on carcinogens causing occupational cancer has been updated. Further, social interest in occupational cancer has increased. In addition, the standard for recognizing cancer as a work-related disease has also been revised. The present study aims to describe the distribution of occupational cancer claims or its approval rate and their association with work-related variables.

Methods

We analyzed 1299 claim cases for occupational cancer from 2010 to 2016 provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL). The status of approval rate was shown by year, sex, industry, occupation, age of diagnosis, duration from employment to diagnosis, and cancer site.

Results

The approval rate was 39.0% from 2010 to 2016 and tended to increase annually since 2011. Both the number of claims and the approval rate were higher in men. Mining and quarrying showed the highest approval rate (78.4%). The approval rates by age of diagnosis and duration from employment to diagnosis increased as the time periods increased. Respiratory organ had the highest number of claims and the highest approval rate by cancer site.

Conclusions

The approval rate of occupational cancer has shown an increasing trend since 2011. The increase of occupational carcinogens and cancer sites and the improvement of social awareness about occupational cancer could have resulted in this trend. The present study provides unique, and the latest and most accurate findings on occupational cancer data of recent 7 years that could be helpful to researchers or policy makers on occupational cancer.

Keywords: Occupational cancer, Approval rate, Claims data

References

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Table 1
Distribution of occupational cancer claims and approvals by year
Year Total claims Approvals
Cases % Cases %
2010 167 12.9 57 11.7
2011 152 11.7 37 7.3
2012 170 13.1 55 10.8
2013 190 14.6 69 13.6
2014 214 16.5 77 15.2
2015 187 14.4 87 17.2
2016 219 16.9 125 24.7
Total 1299 100.0 507 100.0

This is the result of analyzing 1299 claim cases for occupational cancer from 2010 to 2016 provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL)

Table 2
Distribution of occupational cancer claims and approvals by sex
Sex Total claims Approvals
Cases % Cases %
Male 1138 87.6 483 95.3
Female 160 12.3 24 4.7
Unclassified 1 0.1    
Total 1299 100.0 507 100.0

This is the result of analyzing 1299 claim cases for occupational cancer from 2010 to 2016 provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL)

Table 3
Distribution of occupational cancer claims and approvals by industry and occupation
  Total Claims Approvals
Cases % Cases %
Industry
Financial and insurance activities 23 1.8 8 1.6
Mining and quarrying 185 14.2 145 28.6
Manufacturing 664 51.1 242 47.7
Electricity, gas, steam and water supply 4 0.3 1 0.2
Construction 73 5.6 39 7.7
Transportation, storage and communication 62 4.8 17 3.4
Forestry 3 0.2    
Agriculture 4 0.3 1 0.2
Other business 276 21.2 53 10.5
Unclassified 5 0.4 1 0.2
Occupation
Managers 197 15.2 43 8.5
Professionals and related Workers 87 6.7 21 4.1
Clerks 79 6.1 16 3.2
Service workers 14 1.1    
Sales workers 19 1.5 2 0.4
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers 2 0.2 2 0.4
Craft and related trades workers 239 18.4 138 27.2
Equipment, machine operating and assembling workers 263 20.2 80 15.8
Elementary workers 396 30.5 205 40.4
Economically dependent workers 3 0.2    
Total 1299 100.0 507 100.0

This is the result of analyzing 1299 claim cases for occupational cancer from 2010 to 2016 provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL)

Table 4
Distribution of occupational cancer claims and approvals by age of diagnosis and duration from employment to diagnosis
  Total Claims Approvals
Cases % Cases %
Age of diagnosis (years) a
<20 2 0.2    
20–29 45 3.5 4 0. 8
30–39 136 10.5 27 5.3
40–49 304 23.4 75 14.8
50–59 444 34.2 158 31.2
60–69 232 17.9 141 27.8
70–79 115 8.9 86 17.0
>80 21 1.6 16 3.2
Duration from employment to diagnosis (years) b
<1 136 10.5 32 6.3
>1, <5 242 18.6 52 10.3
>5, <10 192 14.8 51 10.1
>10, < 15 133 10.2 47 9.1
>15, < 20 122 9.4 52 10.3
>20, < 25 160 12.3 65 12.8
>25, < 30 127 9.8 78 15.4
>30, < 35 80 6.2 51 10.1
>35, < 40 48 3.7 34 6.7
>40 59 4.5 45 8.9
Total 1299 100.0 507 100.0

This is the result of analyzing 1299 claim cases for occupational cancer from 2010 to 2016 provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL)

a Average was 53.0 years (Standard deviation 12.5);

b Average was 14.9 years (Standard deviation 12.8)

Table 5
Distribution of occupational cancer claims and approvals by cancer site
Cancer site Total claims Approvals   Total claims Approovals
Cases % Cases % Cases % Cases %
Lip, oral cavity, and pharynx         Breast and female genital organs
Lip 4 21.1     Breast 23 85.2 2 66.7
Tonsil 5 26.3     Uterine cervix 2 7.4 1 33.3
Nasopharynx 10 52.6 1 100 Ovary 2 7.4    
Total 19 1.5 1 0.2 Total 27 2.1 3 0.6
Digestive organs         Male genital organs        
Oesophagus 5 1.8     Prostate 3 75.0    
Stomach 73 26.6 5 25.0 Testis 1 25.0    
Colon and rectum 33 12.0 2 10.0 Total 4 0.3    
Liver and bile duct 137 50.0 12 60.0 Urinary tract        
Gall bladder 5 1.8 1 5.0 Kidney 12 60.0 2 40.0
Pancreas 14 5.1     Urinary bladder 8 40.0 3 60.0
Other cancers 7 2.6     Total 20 1.5 5 1.0
Total 274 21.1 20 3.9 Brain, and central nervous system        
Respiratory organs         Brain and central nervous system 45 100.0 1 100.0
Nasal cavity and paranasal sinus 5 0.8 2 0.6 Total 45 3.5 1 0.2
Larynx 7 1.2 2 0.6 Endocrine glands        
Lung 581 98.0 355 98.8 Thyroid 28 100.0    
Total 593 45.7 359 70.8 Total 28 2.2    
Bone, skin, and mesothelium, endothelium, and soft tissue Lymphoid, hematopoietic, and related tissue
Bone 2 2.4     Leukaemia 102 49.5 38 52.1
Skin (melanoma) 4 4.8 1 2.2 Lymphoma (non hodgkin) 51 24.8 15 20.5
Skin (other malignant neoplasms) 3 3.6     Lymphoma (hodgkin) 3 1.5    
Mesothelium (Pleura and peritoneum) 62 74.7 44 97.8 Other lymphohematopoietic diseases 50 24.3 20 27.4
Other cancers 12 14.5     Total 206 15.9 73 14.4
Total 83 6.4 45 8.9 TOTAL 1299 100.0 507 100.0

This is the result of analyzing 1299 claim cases for occupational cancer from 2010 to 2016 provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL)

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