'Is COVID-19 scarier than lung cancer'?… Cancer screenings must continue even in the COVID-19 era

Professor Kim Yeol, Department of Cancer Management, Graduate School of International Cancer Studies, National Cancer Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Thirty percent of the population fear COVID-19 more than lung cancer. In particular, among those eligible for screening, those who fear COVID-19 showed low participation rates in screening, raising concerns about an increased possibility of late cancer detection.

Professor Kim Yeol of the Department of Cancer Management at the Graduate School of International Cancer Studies, National Cancer Center, and his Vietnamese mentee Thuy Linh Duong analyzed the results of a cancer screening behavior survey conducted from August to September 2020 on 3,557 adults aged 40 and over nationwide, revealing these findings on the 11th. The study was published in the international journal Translational Lung Cancer Research.

According to the survey, when asked which disease they feared more, COVID-19 or lung cancer, 30% of all respondents answered that they feared contracting COVID-19 more than lung cancer.

Regarding participation rates in health screenings, only 30% of respondents who feared COVID-19 more than lung cancer participated in health screenings. This is lower than the 34% participation rate among those who feared lung cancer more. Especially among respondents eligible for lung cancer screening with a smoking history of over 30 pack-years, the participation rate was very low at around 16% when they answered that they feared COVID-19 more. A pack-year is calculated by multiplying the average number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years smoked; 30 pack-years corresponds to smoking one pack daily for 30 years or two packs daily for 15 years. Furthermore, the greater the fear of COVID-19, the significantly higher the number of people who planned to undergo screening but did not actually do so.

However, at the time of the survey, the number of deaths in Korea due to COVID-19 was about 900, whereas annual deaths from lung cancer were recorded at 18,000.

Professor Kim Yeol stated, “If social anxiety caused by COVID-19 is exaggerated, early diagnosis and treatment access for diseases more fatal than COVID-19, such as cancer or cardiovascular diseases, may be delayed, and this concern has been confirmed as true. It is necessary to provide balanced information during outbreaks of new infectious diseases like COVID-19 to ensure that essential medical services are not neglected.” He added, "Even as the spread of COVID-19 continues, cancer remains the leading cause of death in Korea, and the number of cancer cases is increasing annually. The public must maintain awareness of cancer and not neglect regular cancer screenings for early detection.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.