Evidence-based National Cancer Screening program of Korea

Article information

J Korean Med Assoc. 2011;54(10):1028-1035

Publication date (electronic) : 2011 October 12

doi : https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2011.54.10.1028

Won-Chul Lee, MD

Department of Preventive Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Won-Chul Lee, leewc@catholic.ac.kr

Received 2011 September 03; Accepted 2011 September 17.

Abstract

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Korea. Therefore cancer control is one of the most important health issues. Cancer screening is the most promising strategy for controlling cancer. The National Cancer Screening Program started in 2002 in Korea. The goal of the program is to reduce the mortality or incidence rate of the cancer or both. To be effective, the evidence-based National Cancer Screening program should be implemented. For the evidence-based program, related indices were recommended for each step. When adopting a new cancer screening program, the predicted benefit and harm should be analysed, and when a decision is made to adopt the program, a pilot study for feasibility should be implemented. After implementing the community-based screening program, several types of the evaluation for the effectiveness of the program ought to be performed. The indices for each step were listed and discussed. And several conditions suggested for performing evidence-based national cancer screening program in Korea were discussed. Randomized clinical trials to compare the efficacy between the screening tools are recommended. And the study to evaluate the harm from the screening programs should be performed. To achieve the goal of the National Cancer Screening Program, evidence-based national cancer screening program should be performed.

Keywords: Evidence-based; National Cancer Screening Program; Mortality reduction; Harm

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