CURRENT STATUS OF POPULATION-BASED ENDOSCOPIC SCREENING FOR GASTRIC CANCER IN NARA PREFECTURE

Abstract

Nara Prefecture introduced endoscopic screening for gastric cancer. Since there is a disparity in medical resources for endoscopic screening between rural and urban areas, the Health Department of Nara Prefecture provided information on all medical facilities that can perform endoscopic screening in Nara Prefecture to the municipalities. We conducted a survey of municipalities in Nara Prefecture to evaluate the current status of endoscopic screening. In 2017, 23 out of the 39 municipalities had introduced endoscopic screening, and 8 municipalities introduced endoscopic screening in 2018. Therefore, approximately 80% of the municipalities in Nara Prefecture have conducted endoscopic screening. The survey of municipalities revealed that the “double check” system in which examiners submit all images and other doctors check the submitted images to avoid overlooking lesions, interferes with the introduction of endoscopic screening. Moreover, the largest barrier to introduction of endoscopic screening was insufficient medical resources. Approximately 20% of the medical facilities provided endoscopic screening for multiple municipalities in 2018. Since it is expected that the number of endoscopic screening examinees will increase in the near future, expansion of medical resources and elimination of regional disparities are necessary.