Sample¶
The portal releases two kinds of sample, and each one is a separate database, applied for and delivered on its own. A site sample (표본) is about 20 percent of one cancer site. A staging sample (표본 병기) is about 10 percent of one site, and its registration table comes from the registry's staging survey (협력병기). 병기 means stage.
At a glance
- Site sample. Six sites, with the same registration items as the customized extract (summary stage, histology, treatment) and a shorter list of claims columns.
- Staging sample. Five sites, whose registration table adds tumor size, nodes, metastasis, grade, and TNM stage, depending on the site.
- Other tables. Death, eligibility, claims, and checkups are the same in both kinds of sample. Screening is included only for the sample's own site, and COVID-19 is absent.
- Age and dates. Neither kind lists year of birth.
AGEis age at diagnosis in five-year bands, and the diagnosis date is given as year and month. - Access. Both are analyzed remotely, on a virtual desktop, and delivered about one month after review.
Sources
The sites and the 20 percent and 10 percent figures follow the portal's K-CURE library overview. The tables and variables follow the data catalogs on the catalog page, downloaded 30 October 2026. The library overview also names kidney and prostate samples, and the catalog page has no workbook for them.
The variable lists are under Variables, for the site samples and the staging samples. Where the samples are analyzed is on Using the data.
Site sample (표본)¶
A site sample's registration table keeps the registry items of the customized extract: SEER summary stage (SEER_GRP), treatment (TX), and basis of diagnosis (METHOD). It stores the full histology code MCODE, where the customized extract stores a 17-group code (MCODE_GRP). It omits MULTI_9911, the flag for a cancer diagnosed in 1999–2011.
| Sample | 한글 | Diagnoses | Tables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stomach | 위암 표본 | 2012–2021 | 16, including stomach screening |
| Breast | 유방암 표본 | 2012–2021 | 16, including breast screening |
| Colorectal | 대장암 표본 | 2012–2021 | 16, including colorectal screening |
| Liver | 간암 표본 | 2012–2021 | 16, including liver screening |
| Lung | 폐암 표본 | 2012–2021 | 12, without screening |
| Pancreas | 췌장암 표본 | 2012–2021 | 12, without screening |
Staging sample (표본 병기)¶
A staging sample replaces the registration table with the staging-survey record. For stomach, breast, and colorectal cancer, that record has tumor size, nodes, metastasis, grade, and AJCC TNM stage, and it omits SEER_GRP, TX, and the ICD-10 code. Liver and lung have their own stage items.
| Sample | 한글 | Registration table | Stage detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stomach | 위암 표본 병기 | CS_GC_RGST, 40 variables |
Tumor size, nodes, metastasis, grade, AJCC TNM |
| Breast | 유방암 표본 병기 | CS_BC_RGST, 55 variables |
Tumor size, nodes, metastasis, grade, AJCC TNM, and breast-specific factors |
| Colorectal | 대장암 표본 병기 | CS_CC_RGST, 41 variables |
Tumor size, nodes, metastasis, grade, AJCC TNM |
| Liver | 간암 표본 병기 | CS_LV_RGST, 11 variables |
Height, weight, AFP, clinical TNM and stage |
| Lung | 폐암 표본 병기 | CS_LC_RGST, 32 variables |
Smoking, histology, EGFR, ALK, imaging and pathologic TNM |
Diagnoses run from 2012 through 2021, and lung starts in 2014. For stomach, breast, and colorectal, the catalog refers to the Korea Central Cancer Registry's cooperative-staging user guide (협력병기 조사자료 이용자 안내서) for the detailed codes. The code tables on the variable pages are the codes the catalog itself lists.
Other tables¶
The other tables are the same in a site sample and a staging sample of the same cancer. They are the same kinds of record as in the customized extract, with fewer columns.
- Eligibility omits the number of people on the insurance card.
- Claim statement omits several fields, including the cost amounts.
- Services and outpatient prescriptions omit unit price and amount.
- Checkups are included for every site. The questionnaire for recent years is
G1Q_1823, so these files run through 2023. - Screening is included only for the sample's own site, in files that run through 2023 (
0923). Lung and pancreas have no screening table. - COVID-19 is absent.
The catalogs do not list SN_KEY. The claims tables list MID.
Age and dates¶
Neither kind of sample lists year of birth. AGE is age at diagnosis, in five-year bands. FDX is the year and month of first diagnosis, where the customized extract gives the full date. DBYEAR (자료등록연도) on a staging table is the year the record was registered.