title: Cost is a barrier to widespread use of liquid-based cytology for cervical cancer screening in Korea.
abstract: This study aimed to document current cervical cancer screening practices of physicians in Korea. Questionnaires were distributed to 852 Korean obstetricians and gynecologists, who attended the 91st Conference of the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology held during May, 2005. Questionnaires were returned by 30.6% (260/852) of the recipients and 254 of these were eligible for analysis. Sixty-seven percent started cervical cancer screening women at age 20, and 65% replied that they would continue annual screening in a 35-yr-old woman with three consecutive normal cytologic tests. Over 65% of respondents preferred conventional cytologic screening to liquid-based cytology. The cost was a major determinant for selecting screening method. Fifty-three percent used the human papillomavirus DNA test as a triage for atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance. Our findings suggest that majority of Korean obstetricians and gynecologists in hospital prefer annual conventional cytologic testing to liquid-based cytology for financial reason.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-Dong, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Hoon
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jae Weon
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon-Beom
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*