Abstract
We studied the usefulness of transnasal endoscopy using a very thin endoscope in mass screenings for stomach cancer at the Kansai Occupational Health Association. From May 2004 to July 2005, 28, 510 subjects (22,106 upper GI series, 6,404 upper GI endoscopy) were screened for stomach cancer. The cancer detection rate by upper GI endoscopy was almost 1.5 times that by upper GI series. From a survey of 396 subjects undergoing tansnasal endoscopy, 72% felt less discomfort with the transnasal method, while only 20% felt that the peroral method was less uncomfortable. Subjects who selected transnasal endoscopy as their preferred method the next year accounted for 85%. Epistaxis, an important adverse effect of transnasal endoscopy, was recognized only in 4.1%. Thus, transnasal endoscopy was thought to be safer and easier to implement than peroral endoscopy, and is a useful method in screening for stomach cancer.
