Trends in Participation Rates of the National Cancer Screening Program among Cancer Survivors in Korea

Abstract

The study aimed to describe the participation rates of the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) among cancer survivors in Korea. The NCSP protocol recommends that all Korean men and women should be screened for cancer. Cancer survivors were defined as those registered for any cancer in the Korea Central Cancer Registry by December 31 of the year prior to being included in the target population of the NCSP. In this study, the participation rates for the NCSP were calculated as the percentage of people who participated in four kinds of cancer screening programs, independently. The average annual percentage change was assessed. The participation rates of the general population and cancer survivors were higher than 40% in stomach, breast, and cervical cancer screening. These rates were higher than that of colorectal cancer screening in 2014. In addition, the participation rates in the NCSP in 2002–2014 increased for all cancer types. The NCSP participation rates of the cancer survivors indicate the high demand for cancer screening. Further research may investigate the effect of the NCSP on second cancer occurrence or mortality in cancer survivors and the significance of cancer screening guidelines for cancer survivors.