• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.51-59
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was designed to understand the association between the perceived social support and the quality of life among cancer patients. Methods: Questionnaire survey was conducted from July 10 to August 14 in 2008 among inpatients and outpatients visited Gangwon Cancer Center. Survey was done for 429 patients who were diagnosed as cancer longer than two years and 232 patients responded. We used Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support(MSPSS) and Euro Quality of Life-5 Dimension(EQ-5D). Results: Prevalence of problem in Quality of life among cancer patients were as follows; 28.6% in mobility, 26.0% in pain or discomfort, 24.8% in anxiety or depression, 22.7% in usual activity, and 15.7% in self-care. Cancer patients with higher social support had significantly higher Quality of Life. Also more severe stage had significantly lower Quality of Life. Conclusion: Education, income, stage, and social support seemed influential to Quality of Life among cancer patients. Programs are necessary to promote social support for Quality of Life especially for cancer patients diagnosed as higher stage. Counseling and supporting can be useful not only for patients but also for families.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.58-73
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• 2010

Background : Cancer is a disease that not only places a significant burden on patients clinically but also requires significant expense for diagnosis and treatment. Although the cancer coverage of health insurance has recently been expended, the need for financial assistance among cancer patients and their families is still expected to be significant. In this study, cancer patients' need for financial assistance in Korea was examined and its influence factors were analyzed. Methods : Target study subjects were those who are over 18 years of age and were diagnosed with cancer more than four months prior at the National Cancer Center and 9 Regional Cancer Centers in Korea during the period from July to August of 2008. Quarter sampling was conducted according to the ratio of the type of each cancer. A face to face interview survey was conducted. A total of 2,661 cancer patients finished the survey. Medical charts were reviewed in order to obtain the cancer type and SEER stage of cancer patients. An ordered logistic regression model was used to examine the level of need for financial assistance according to the demographical, clinical, and socio-economic variables of cancer patients. Result : The percentage of cancer patients who needed financial assistance was 69.0%, and 36.9% needed significant financial assistance. The need for financial assistance was perceived to be greater in males, younger age group, low income group, low education group, medical aid recipients, those who were diagnosed recently, those with a low level of quality of life measured through EQ5D, and those with decreased income after cancer diagnosis. Conclusion : In spite of the current policy to increase health insurance coverage, the majority of cancer patients and their families in Korea still need financial assistance due to cancer. In particular, there were more vulnerable groups, such as the low income, or low education group. In the future, policies that focus on the disadvantaged, which strengthen social security, should be considered for achievement of a substantially better quality of life for cancer patients and their families.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.61-73
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• 2017

In the Health Insurance System of South Korea, patients must pay high out-of-pocket expenditures for the medical service by uninsured medical benefits. So, the government implemented a policy to relieve the burdens of patients by lowering the uninsured selective-medical treatment costs in August, 2014. This study investigate the policy effects of selective-medical treatment(SMT) on the medical service's usage and cost with severe lung cancer patients. The patients are selected in one university hospital(with 1,000 beds), between one year before and after policy implementation. The study find that the usages of outpatient(visit number) and inpatient (length of stay) are not changed by statistically significant. It means that there are no effect in medical service behavior between before and after the policy. In medical expenses, outpatients decreased in their out-of-pocket payments by policy, but total medical expenses and insured medical benefits is not changed, because of the increased another medical insurance fees. For inpatient, although the SMT costs are statistically significant decrease, the total out-of-pocket payments and insured medical expenses are not changed statistically significant. Those findings show that the political decision making about SMT made lowing the selective-medical expenses, but total insured cost and patient's out-of pocket money were not changed by the new increased medical insurance fees. It means that the policy about SMT gave no particular benefit for patients. So, it need another benefit plans to lower the medical expenses of severe lung cancer patients with a high medical service usage and much total medical expense.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2021

Background: As a descriptive study targeting 2,068 cancer patients as men of national merit in 2013, this study aims to provide the basic data for systematizing the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer by comparatively analyzing the 5-year survival rate. Methods: This study researched the survival of cancer patients through Electronic Medical Record and Patriots-Veterans Qualification Program, targeting 2,068 newly-diagnosed cancer patients verified in five veterans hospitals and consigned management system. This study verified differences between general characteristics of cancer patients as men of national merit and analyzed their survival rate. Results: The cancer patients as men of national merit were super-aged as their average age was 72.5. In the analysis of general characteristics of five major prevalent cancers, there were statistically significant differences according to age, region, cancer diagnostic path, differentiation, diagnostic method, treatment method, SEER stage, and survival period, except for the types of the man of national merit (p<0.001). The whole survival rate of cancer patients as men of national merit was 50%. The 5-year survival rates of predisposing cancers were shown as prostate cancer (79%), colorectal cancer (64%), gastric cancer (57%), liver cancer (32%), and lung cancer (12%). In the cancer diagnostic path, all the predisposing cancers showed the highest survival rate in medical examination. In the treatment method, the surgery showed the highest survival rate. The cancer patients as men of national merit showed a lower survival rate than the general cancer patients of Korea. Conclusion: It would be needed to guarantee the honorable and happy life through health recovery as special treatment of contribution and sacrifice of super-aged men of national merit by increasing the cancer survival rates through regular checkup, early diagnosis, and high-quality treatment system that could have important effects on the survival rate according to the occurrence of cancers.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.162-173
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• 2015

Background: The aim of the current study was to investigate the factors related to the non-practice of cancer screening in cancer survivors, who are at high risk of developing second cancers. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of 1,125 cancer survivors ${\geq}19$ years old who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys IV and V (2007-2012). A Rao-scott chi-square test and a survey logistic regression analysis were employed respectively to analyze the difference of cancer survivors in cancer screening by each characteristic and the factors related to the non-practice of cancer screening in cancer survivors. Results: Among total subjects, 33.5% did not participate in cancer screening in the last two years. Results from a fully adjusted logistic model showed that the non-practice of cancer screening in cancer survivors was significantly associated with variables such as sex, age, marital status, education level, monthly income, and drinking a alcoholic beverage Specifically, the odds ratio of non-practice of cancer screening was higher in males than in females, in the younger group than in older group, in the group with no spouse than in the group with a spouse; in a group with a low level of education than in a group with a high level of education; in a group with the lowest income level than in a group with the other levels of income; or in non-drinkers than in drinkers. Conclusion: Health policies to reduce the non-practice rate of cancer screening in cancer survivors should be designed and implemented with close attention to cancer survivors' socio-economic characteristics such as sex, age, marital status, education, and income, along with a health behavioral characteristic as drinking.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3363-3368
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• 2013

Background: The burden due to cancers is an emerging public health concern especially in resource-limited countries like Nigeria. The WHO estimates that cancer kills more people than tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. As people in Nigeria and other developing countries are beginning to survive infectious diseases, there is an observed epidemiologic transition to chronic diseases, such as cancers. In 2008, 75 out of 1,000 Nigerians died of cancer. Despite the rising incidence and public health importance, Nigeria lacks an organized and comprehensive strategy to deal with cancers. Materials and Methods: This article reviewed 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts on cancer care in four countries. It highlights the limitations to cancer care in Nigeria; due to lack of awareness, low health literacy, absence of organized screening programs, inadequate manpower (in terms of quality and quantity) as well as limited treatment options. Results: This review led to the formulation of a proposal for Nigerian National Cancer Policy, mainly drawn from effective strategies used in Canada, Brazil and Kenya. This is a vertical cancer program that is patient-centered with an emphasis on tobacco control and cancer disease screening (similar to Canada and Brazil). Additionally, it emphasizes primary cancer prevention (similar to Kenya). Its horizontal integration with other disease programs like HIV/AIDS will improve affordability in a poor resourced country like Nigeria. Capacity building for health professionals, hub-and-spoke implementation of screening services, as well as investment in effective treatment options and increased research in cancer care are essential. International 'twinning collaborations' between institutions in richer countries and Nigeria will enhance effective knowledge translation and improve the quality of patient care. Conclusions: A national cancer policy must be developed and implemented in Nigeria in order to overcome the present limitations which help contribute to the observed increases in cancer morbidity and mortality rates. Cancer control is feasible in Nigeria if the nation was to consider and employ some of the cost-effective strategies proposed here.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.293-314
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• 2016

Patent information as a proxy measure of technological capability has been utilized to establish technological strategies of firms. It is important to monitor what competitors' plans for direction on research and development in the initial stage of new industry. Cancer metabolism has been considered as a beacon of hope for cancer research because it is anticipated that the research field will play a central role in developing effective cancer therapies. There is little attention given to understanding the status quo of organizational configurations. By utilizing network analysis, six sub-groups of cancer metabolism were categorized and the relationship between an individual field and participants were analyzed based on cluster and entire network-level. Although the largest drug and biotech companies tried to take an initiative across the whole fields, the differences in technological capabilities between them was discovered. This paper attempts to improve the validity of the suggested procedure and is significant in that it looks at the entire structure of cancer metabolism research from a strategic perspective for the first time.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.200-210
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• 2001

Objective : To explore the status of cancer research in the Republic of Korea. Methods : Thirty-eight medical journals, published in Korea between 1990 and 1996, were reviewed for abstracts relating to cancer research. Of the 5,899 eligible abstracts related to cancer, 4,732 were collected and evaluated. Results : Including first author and first two co-authors, a total of 7,427 authors were identified. Those who published an average of one or more article per one year were defined as cancer researchers for this study. This group, however, accounted for a small proportion of the total (3.1%). Analysis of the selected abstracts showed that the study goals in more than half focused on pathophysiologic mechanisms. Studies that were designed to use causal relationships such as cohort studies and randomized controlled trials were rare. A greater number of analytic and experimental studies were found in abstracts published by the cancer researcher group. More advanced study designs that explored causal relationships and analytic procedures were found in abstracts published later than those abstracts published from 1990 to 1992. Conclusion : Our findings show that researchers who published more articles adopted more advanced study designs. This study provides primary data that can be used to compare the status of cancer research in future studies.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.399-411
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• 2019

Background: This study aimed to explore the associations of social-demographic, health-behavioral, and woman-specific factors with the non-screening status of the cervical cancer screening test in Korean adult women. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of 9,698 Korean adult women aged 20 years or more who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys V (2010-2012). Rao-Scott chi-square tests and survey logistic regression analyses were employed respectively to analyze the difference in the non-screening status of the cervical cancer screening test by each characteristic and to explore the factors related to the non-screening status. Results: The rate of the non-screening status of the cervical cancer screening test was 53.5% over the previous 2 years. In the survey logistics regression analysis, age, marital status, educational levels, income levels, residential area, occupation, private health insurance, smoking, alcohol, obesity, menstrual status, pregnancy experience, and hormone replacement therapy were significantly associated with the non-screening status of the cervical cancer screening test. Conclusion: On the basis of the results of this study, some social-demographic, health-behavioral, and woman-specific characteristics of Korean adult women seem to affect the non-screening status of the cervical cancer screening test. Therefore, appropriate health policies need to be designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated to reduce the non-screening status of the cervical cancer screening test of them.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.31-48
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• 2009

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the satisfaction of participants in the National Cancer Screening Program(NCSP) and to identify factors affecting the satisfaction. The telephone survey was conducted in July 2007 for the participants who were screened by the NCSP from January through May 2007. Student's t-tests and analysis of variance were performed first to determine if the mean satisfaction score differed by the characteristics of study objects, followed by multiple linear regression analyses to examine the factors affecting satisfaction. Dependent variable was general satisfaction for the screening service, and three dimensions of independent variables - 'sociodemographic characteristics', 'screening characteristics', and 'perceived service quality' - were used for the empirical analyses. Female, old-aged, less educated, Medicaid recipients, rural residents and the participants with normal results were more likely to be satisfied with the NCSP. The results of multiple regression analyses show that gender, age, location of residence, type of screening units, and perceived quality of screening services were significantly related to satisfaction. This study is meaningful as the first attempt to measure participant satisfaction with the NCSP, and to identify factors affecting the satisfaction. Among the identified factors, the NCSP needs to pay attention to perceived quality of service, in particular, to improve the satisfaction. This study is expected to contribute to raising the compliance rate and to improve the quality of the NCSP.