• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.73-77
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• 2012

Purpose: Fragile X carrier detection before or at early pregnancy through a wide screening program may not only confer a risk of having offspring with Fragile X syndrome (FXS), but may also confer a risk for Fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency and Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome. However, prior to the implementation of such a program, the carrier prevalence in a population and the availability of effective screening test should be evaluated. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of premutation carriers and to evaluate the feasibility of screening test. Materials and Methods: The blood samples were obtained from 8,641 pregnant women with no family history of mental retardation. We performed a three-primer CGG repeat primed (RP) PCR using the AmplideX$^{TM}$ FMR1 PCR kit (Asuragen, Inc. Austin, TX, USA). Samples showing full mutation alleles were reflexed to Southern blot analysis for methylation status and sizing. Results: Among the 8,641 women, we found 8 premutation carriers (1:1,090, 0.09%) and 46 women with an intermediate allele (1:190, 0.53%). No woman was found to carry the fully mutated allele. All the detected alleles were within the CGG repeat range of 8-117. Among the 8,641 samples, 29 and 30 CGG repeats represent 66.6% of all cases. The CGG RP PCR method provides robust detection of expanded alleles and resolves allele zygosity, thus minimizing the number of samples that require Southern blot analysis. Conclusion: This is the first study that has focused on the prevalence of FXS premutation carriers and FMR1 allele distribution in normal pregnant women. These data have important implications for population-based fragile X carrier screening in Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7079-7083
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• 2014

The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is often used as an interview sheet for assessing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) at the time of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing during population-based screening for prostate cancer. However, the relationship between prostate cancer detection and LUTS status remains controversial. To elucidate this relationship, the cumulative probability of prostate cancer detection using IPSS in biopsy samples from patients categorized by serum PSA levels was investigated. The clinical characteristics of prostate cancer detected using IPSS during screening were also investigated. A total of 1,739 men aged 54-75 years with elevated serum PSA levels who completed the IPSS questionnaire during the initial population screening in Kanazawa City, Japan and underwent systematic transrectal ultrasonography-guided prostate biopsy between 2000 and 2013 were enrolled in the present study. Of the 1,739 men, 544 (31.3%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer during the observation period. The probability of cancer detection at 3 years in the entire study population was 27.4% and 32.7% for men with $IPSS{\leq}7$ and those with $IPSS{\geq}8$, respectively; there was no statistically significant difference between groups. In men with serum PSA levels of 6.1 to 12.0ng/mL at initial screening, the probability of cancer detection was significantly higher in men with $IPSS{\leq}7$ than in those with $IPSS{\geq}8$. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between groups of patients stratified by IPSS. These findings indicate that the use of IPSS for LUTS status evaluation may be useful for prostate cancer detection in the limited range of serum PSA levels.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1969-1974
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and associated factors regarding colorectal cancer screening among university students in Malaysia. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle practice and knowledge of colorectal screening. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 students ($21.3{\pm}1.4$ years old). The majority of the participants were Malay with a monthly family income of less than 5,000 Ringgit Malaysia (equal to 1,700 USD) (67.0% and 76.0%, respectively). Regarding their lifestyle practices, the majority were non-smokers and had never consumed alcohol (83.7%, and 88.0%, respectively). The majority of the participants had no knowledge of digital rectal examination, colonoscopy, barium enema and fecal occult blood screening (63.3%, 60.7%, 74.0% and 62.3%, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that their age and the discipline which the students were studying significantly influenced their level of knowledge about colorectal screening. The present study results indicate that education campaigns about colorectal cancer should be promoted.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.7-8
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• 2003

The health screening and promotion is an emerging field of clinical preventiemedicine and is proved to be effective for reduction of diseaseprevalence, particularly life-style related diseases in aged population. However, the goal of perodic health screening can be achieved by a reliable health screening that largely depond on the quality of tests. Various tests including ultrasonography, endoscopy, CT and automated blood analyzers are used in health screening. Thesescreening tests are usually sensitive, but not specific to the presence of diseases. It meams the tests produce more false positive results, that demand eztra-expenses for the confirmation of disease. Promising screening tests should be sensitive as well as specific. However, it is not easy to maintain the quality of laboratory tests, because it is affected by various factors, such as instruments, reagents, laboratory methods and human factors. This review focuses on internal and external quality control of laboratory tests and quality management of health screening services to obtain reliable test results.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.77 no.2
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• pp.55-59
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• 2014

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality and a 6.7% decrease in all-cause mortality. The NLST is the only trial showing positive results in a high-risk population, such as in patients with old age and heavy ever smokers. Lung cancer screening using a low-dose chest computed tomography might be beneficial for the high-risk group. However, there may also be potential adverse outcomes in terms of over diagnosis, bias and cost-effectiveness. Until now, lung cancer screening remains controversial. In this review, we wish to discuss the evolution of lung cancer screening and summarize existing evidences and recommendations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6285-6288
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is commonly diagnosed at late stages in countries with limited resources. In Morocco, breast cancer is ranked the first female cancer (36.1%) and screening methods could reduce the proportion presenting with a late diagnosis. Morocco is currently adopting a breast cancer screening program based on clinical examination at primary health facilities, diagnosis at secondary level and treatment at tertiary level. So far, there is no systematic information on the performance of the screening program for breast cancer in Morocco. The aim of this study was to analyze early performance indicators. Materials and Methods: A retrospective evaluative study conducted in Temara city. The target population was the entire female population aged between 45-70 years. The study was based on process and performance indicators collected at the individual level from the various health structures in Tamara between 2009 and 2011. Results: A total of 2,350 women participated in the screening program; the participation rate was 35.7%. Of these, 76.8% (1,806) were married and 5.2% (106) of this group had a family history of breast cancer. Of the women who attended screening, 9.3% (190) were found to have an abnormal physical examination findings. A total of 260 (12.7%) were referred for a specialist consultation. The positive predictive value of clinical breast examination versus mammography was 23.0%. Forty four (35.5%) of the lesions found on the mammograms were classified as BI-RADs 3; 4 or 5 category. Cancer was found in 4 (1.95%) of the total number of screened women and benign cases represented 0.58%. Conclusions: These first results of the programme are very encouraging, but there is a need to closely monitor performance and to improve programme procedures with the aim of increasing both the participation rate and the proportion of women eligible to attend screening.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6459-6463
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• 2013

We investigated the cancer screening rates for five types of cancer (stomach, liver, colorectal, breast, and cervix uteri) using data from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey (KNCSS), which is a nationwide, annual cross-sectional survey. The eligible study population included cancer-free men 40 years of age and older and women 30 years of age and older. The lifetime screening rate and screening rate with recommendation were calculated. The lifetime screening rates for gastric, liver, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers were 77.9%, 69.9%, 65.8%, 82.9%, and 77.1%, respectively. The screening rates with recommendation were 70.9%, 21.5%, 44.7%, 70.9%, and 67.9%, respectively. The most common reason for all types of cancer was "no symptoms", followed by "lack of time" and "fear of the examination procedure". Efforts to facilitate participation in liver and colorectal cancer screening among Korean men and women are needed.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.37
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• pp.67-88
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to identify the proportion of the population with the alcohol use disorder among the Korean adults. To the author's knowledge, this study was the first social work article to survey the prevalence of the alcohol use disorder using the randomly selected sample. The survey instrument included the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, the Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. and the Korean Alcoholism Screening Test to identify the rates of problem drinkers and alcoholics. The instrument also included items to ask the respondents' drinking frequencies, drinking amounts, and heavy drinking. The findings of the study indicated that Koreans had severe alcohol problems. 322 percent of the respondents were identified as those who have experienced drinking-related problems in the past year. This study found 4.2 percent of the respondents as alcoholics and estimated that 1.34 million of the Korean adult population were alcoholics. This study concludes that social workers should use screening tools to early identify clients with alcohol problems and develop effective programs to assist those clients and their families. Finally this study provide suggestions for future studies.

• Gut and Liver
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.655-663
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• 2018

Background/Aims: The association between metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer (CRC) has been suggested as one of causes for the increasing incidence of CRC, particularly in younger age groups. The present study examined whether the current age threshold (50 years) for CRC screening in Korea requires modification when considering increased metabolic syndrome. Methods: We analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Corporation database, which covers ~97% of the population in Korea. CRC risk was evaluated with stratification based on age and the presence/absence of relevant metabolic syndrome components (diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension). Results: A total of 51,612,316 subjects enrolled during 2014 to 2015 were analyzed. Among them, 19.3% had diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or some combination thereof. This population had a higher incidence of CRC than did those without these conditions, and this was more prominent in subjects <40 years of age. The optimal cutoff age for detecting CRC, based on the highest Youden index, was 45 years among individuals without diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Individuals with at least one of these components of metabolic syndrome had the highest Youden index at 62 years old, but the value was only 0.2. Resetting the cutoff age from 50 years to 45 years achieved a 6% increase in sensitivity for CRC detection among the total population. Conclusions: Starting CRC screening earlier, namely, at 45 rather than at 50 years of age, may improve secondary prevention of CRC in Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether screening by clinical breast examination (CBE) in addition to mammography affected participant satisfaction in the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP). Data were derived from the Quality Evaluation of National Cancer Screening satisfaction survey. This population-based nationwide telephone survey included participants who had been screened by the NCSP for breast cancer between June and August 2010 (n=2,370), and collected information on satisfaction with screening and screening service use. Five multiple regression models were used to determine satisfaction according to screening method, and according to each of five satisfaction measures (pre-screening information transfer, staff interpersonal skills, physical surroundings, reporting of results and general satisfaction). A total of 1,858 (78.4%) participants were screened by mammography alone and 512 (21.6%) by both mammography and CBE. Satisfaction was significantly higher in subjects screened by both mammography and CBE compared with those screened by mammography alone.