Abstract
Cancers have been the leading cause of death in Japan since 1981, and the number of deaths is still increasing. Therefore, the prevention of the disease is the most important issue for health care. Although screening is the fundamental measure to counter cancer, examination rates of those being screened have been low. Then, Japanese government launched the Basic Plan based on the established Cancer Control Act in 2006 in which a goal was that examination rates of screening-tests increased to 50% in order to reduce cancer deaths. In the present study, we estimated how lessen the death rate of cancer, especially lung cancer and calculated the cost for cancer-screening tests, when the rate of screening would go up. The medical fees and the national income by the improved five-year survival rate were also estimated when early detection could be attained. The national income would increase about 1.6 billion yen, if examination rates in cancer-screening tests and the discovery rate of the lung cancer could be improved to 50% and 0.1%, respectively. The national income would increase about 0.2 billion yen, if working percentage would be 27%, and examination rates in cancer-screening tests and the discovery rate of the lung cancer could be improved to 50% and 0.5%, respectively.
