Abstract
Background: Screening for gastric cancer using an endoscope following gastrography has been approved as a population-based screening method in Japan; however, most municipalities have not yet introduced it. We recently developed a medical carrier service that is equipped with a transnasal endoscope and is available for use even in depopulated areas (n = 5575).
Subjects and methods: We herein investigated whether this service made it easier for people to undergo gastric examination using a questionnaire filled by patients who used this service (n = 325).
Results: After this service, the screening rate markedly increased (5% in 2016 vs. >11% in 2017-2019). Moreover, cancer detection rate (0.12% by gastrography vs. 0.26% by endoscopy) as well as positive predictive value (0.9 by gastrography vs. 6.7 by endoscopy) also increased. The analysis of the filled questionnaires revealed that the reasons why patients chose the endoscope in the vehicle are due to its convenience (52.3%) and receptivity (40.0%). However, a small proportion of patients preferred gastrography (4.3%).
Conclusion: It is necessary to establish an appropriate screening system that will be widely accepted; this will help eliminate gastric cancer-related death.
