The current status of gastric cancer screening in Korea: report on the National Cancer Screening Programme, 2009.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of the National Cancer Screening Programme (NCSP) for gastric cancer in 2009 and provide the rates of participation in organized gastric cancer screening in Korea. METHODS The data were obtained from the National Cancer Screening Information System, and the participation rates in gastric cancer screening were calculated. Recall rates, defined as the proportion of abnormal cases among participants, were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS The target population of the 2009 NCSP included 6,842,209 Korean men and women aged 40 and older. Of those adults, 2,328,715 were screened with upper endoscopy or upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series (34.0%). For the first time, the number of adults (56.3%) screened with upper endoscopy exceeded the number screened with UGI series. Participation rates varied by gender and health insurance type. Overall, the recall rates of upper endoscopy and UGI series were 0.3% (95% CI, 0.34 to 0.36) and 1.6% (95% CI, 1.62 to 1.67), respectively. CONCLUSIONS According to our research, efforts to facilitate participation and to reduce disparities in gastric cancer screening among Korean men and women are needed.