Background:
Cancer survivorship has emerged as a key public health priority as advances in early detection and treatment have improved cancer survival. The Korean Survey for Cancer Survivorship (KSCS) was designed to collect comprehensive, national-level data on cancer survivors’ multidimensional experiences after treatment. Understanding these aspects is vital in guiding healthcare practices and policy decisions aimed at improving long-term cancer survivorship care and support.
 
Objective:
To present key findings from the KSCS on cancer survivors’ socioeconomic, functional, and quality-of-life challenges after cancer treatment.
 
Methods:
The KSCS is a national, multicenter survey of adult cancer survivors recruited from nine major cancer hospitals across Korea. The survey targeted individuals diagnosed with stomach, colorectal, lung, liver, breast, gynecological, or prostate cancer who had completed active treatment and were at least one year post-diagnosis. Participants were recruited through either voluntary participation through hospital-based promotions or direct recruitment by the physicians and research coordinator. Respondents participated in the survey either online or in person. The questionnaire comprised 229 primary questions and 82 sub-questions across seven domains covering cancer-related experiences, comorbidity management, quality of life and mental health, unmet needs, socioeconomic and policy-related factors, health behaviors, and demographics. Cross-tabulations and chi-square tests examined associations of cancer detection method with treatment patterns and functional limitations, comorbidity status with management pathways, and employment change and income with overall QoL categories measured using the EQ-5D-3L. Differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 Summary Score, were evaluated across income groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test.
 
Results:
A total of 4,040 cancer survivors completed the survey (89.5% online, 10.5% in-person). Of these, 44.0% were diagnosed less than 3 years ago, 32.4% within 3–5 years, and 23.6% more than 5 years ago; 51.9% were female, and 50.4% were aged 50–65 years. Lung (16.4%) and breast (16.1%) cancers were the most common cancer types. Overall, 49.2% of participants were diagnosed through cancer screening. Cancer detection method was associated with treatment patterns and functional outcomes, with screening-detected cancers more often managed surgically (94.2% vs 90.9%), whereas non-screening-detected cancers more frequently received systemic therapy (50.8% vs 39.6%) or radiotherapy (32.7% vs 24.7%) and reported greater limitations in daily or social activities (19.4% vs 12.8%). Among survivors with comorbidities at diagnosis (28.6%), management was predominantly hospital-based (96.2%), with very limited use of primary/community care (1.5%) or traditional and other care settings (4.0%). Overall QoL differed significantly by employment change after cancer diagnosis and income level, with higher proportions of poorer overall QoL observed among survivors who experienced employment changes (64.4% vs 42.3%) and those in the low-income group (60.3% vs 48.3%). Consistently, lower income was associated with poorer HRQoL, reflected by lower EORTC QLQ-C30 Summary Scores (77.3% vs 83.2%).
 
Conclusions/Implications:
The KSCS provides comprehensive national-level evidence on cancer survivorship in Korea. The findings highlight the need for integrated survivorship care models that extend beyond cancer-related clinical care to address functional limitations and incorporate chronic disease management and socioeconomic support to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for cancer survivors.