Dong-A University Hospital Reports Findings in Liver Cancer (Medical travel patterns for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in South Korea: National Health Insurance data from 2013 to 2021): Oncology – Liver Cancer

2025 OCT 02 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Oncology - Liver Cancer have been published. According to news originating from Busan, South Korea, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a significant public health concern in South Korea even though the incidence rates are declining. While medical travel for cancer treatment is common, its patterns and influencing factors for patients with HCC are unknown.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Dong-A University Hospital, “To assess medical travel patterns and determinants and their policy implications among patients with newly diagnosed HCC in South Korea. This retrospective cohort study used the National Health Insurance Service database to identify patients with newly diagnosed HCC from 2013 to 2021. Medical travel was defined as receiving initial treatment outside one’s residential region. Patient characteristics and regional trends were analyzed, and factors influencing medical travel were identified using logistic regression analysis. Among 64808 patients 52.4% received treatment in the capital. This proportion increased to 67.4% when including the surrounding metropolitan area. Medical travel was significantly more common among younger and wealthier patients. Patients with greater comorbidity burden or liver cirrhosis were less likely to travel. While geographic distance influenced travel patterns, high-volume academic centers in the capital attracted patients nationwide regardless of proximity. This nationwide study highlighted the centralization of HCC care in the capital.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “This observation indicates that regional cancer hubs should be strengthened and promoted for equitable healthcare access.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Medical travel patterns for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in South Korea: National Health Insurance data from 2013 to 2021. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, 2025;17(9):109060. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology can be contacted at: Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, Ca, United States.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Naeun Kim, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan 49201, South Korea. Additional authors for this research include Sungmin Kim, Hyung-Sik Lee, Mina Kim, Hoseob Kim and Youngmin Choi.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.4251/wjgo.v17.i9.109060. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher’s contact information for the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology is: Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, Ca, United States.

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