Current status of the National Cancer Screening Program for cervical cancer in Korea, 2009

OBJECTIVE: The National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) began in 1999. In this report, we evaluate the results of the NCSP for cervical cancer in 2009 and provide participation rates in an organized cervical cancer screening program in Korea. METHODS: Using data obtained from the National Cancer Screening Information System, cervical cancer screening participation rates were calculated. Recall rates, defined as the proportion of abnormal cases among women screened, were also estimated with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The target population of cervical cancer screening in 2009 included 4,577,200 Korean women aged 30 and over, 1,349,668 of whom underwent the Papanicolaou smear test (29.5% participation rate). Compared with the participation rate of women covered by the National Health Insurance Program (31.3%), the participation rate of women covered by the Medical Aid Program was lower (18.4%). Participation rates also varied in different age groups (the highest of 39.3% in women aged 50 to 59 and the lowest of 14.4% in those aged 70 and older), and different areas (the highest of 34.1% in Busan and the lowest of 21.5% in Chungnam). The overall recall rate for cervical cancer screening was 0.41% (95% confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.42). CONCLUSION: According to our study, efforts to facilitate participation and reduce disparities in cervical cancer screening among Korean women are needed.