Showing papers by "Hai-Rim Shin published in 2008"

Acquisition of new infection and clearance of type-specific human papillomavirus infections in female students in Busan, South Korea: a follow-up study

Abstract: Little is known about the natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Asian women. A follow-up study was conducted, with exfoliated cervicovaginal cells self-collected from, and questionnaires administered to 197 female students, aged 17–26 years, who had been already examined one and half years before. The presence of 25 HPV types was evaluated by a polymerase chain reaction-based assay. The acquisition of new infection for any HPV type among 171 female students at risk who were negative at baseline, 60% of whom had remained as virgins, was 17.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.8–23.2). Among individual types, HPV16, 18 and 35 showed the highest rate of new infection. Women who had had first sexual intercourse (OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.0–8.8), or had changed sexual partners (OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 0.9–9.3) during the follow-up period showed a higher risk of new HPV infection than women who had remained virgins since baseline. The rate of new infection also tended to be higher in those who started, or continued smoking during the follow-up period, than in nonsmokers. Clearance of HPV infections since baseline examination was 80.6% (95% CI: 67.6–93.5), and did not differ between high-risk and low-risk HPV types or between single- and multiple-type infections. This study shows that the acquisition of new HPV infection among young women in the Republic of Korea is high and also the clearance is frequent. Self-collection of cervicovaginal cells is applicable to follow-up studies that include virgins.

Trends in cervical cancer mortality in Korea 1993-2002: Corrected mortality using national death certification data and national cancer incidence data

Abstract: Cervical cancer is a major health problem for Korean women, accounting for 9.8% of new female cancer cases, even though incidence rates have been decreasing. The Korean cervical cancer mortality rate for 1993-2002 based on National Statistical Office data shows an increasing trend, but the actual rates are thought to have decreased by epidemiologists, clinicians and other cancer experts. To explain this gap and solve this problem, we corrected the number of cervical cancer deaths by comparing death certificate cases of unspecified uterine cancer data with the national cancer incidence databases of entire cancer registries in Korea. We used 2 different methods to make a correction. First, we considered "uterus, unspecified" deaths previously registered as "cervix, uterine" cases misclassified and added them to the cervical cancer deaths. Alternatively, we multiplied the total number of registered unspecified uterine cancer deaths by age-specific proportions of registered incident cervical cancer cases among all cancers and added the product to cervical cancer deaths. The overall corrected age-standardized cervical cancer mortality rates per 100,000 women decreased from 5.2 in 1993 to 3.9 in 2002 (estimated annual percentage change (EAPC): -4.05%, 95% CI: -4.88, -3.22). While cervical cancer mortality showed a decreasing tendency in women aged 30-69 years, it increased substantially in women aged > or =70 years (EAPC: 3.62%, 95% CI: 1.92-5.35). Results of this study will provide evidence-based foundation for the evaluation of the existing cervical cancer-screening programs.

Global activity of cancer registries and cancer control and cancer incidence statistics in Korea

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that cancer killed 7.6 million people in the world in 2005, and that 40% of all cancer deaths can be prevented. According to the WHO Global Action Plan Against Cancer (GAPAC), monitoring of cancer patients is the essential part of cancer control, and should be conducted through cancer registration. Originally, cancer registries were primarily concerned with the description of cancer patterns, trends of cancer occurrence, and etiology of cancer. In the last 20 years, cancer registries provided not only information on the incidence and characteristics of specific cancers, but also supplied the source of cancer control planning and evaluation and the care of individual cancer patients with survival. Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) presents incidence data from populations all over the world every five year. Volume IX in the series (data for 1998--2002) has recently (November 2007) been published online at International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Nine data from Korea Central Cancer Registry (National data), Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Incheon, Daejeon, Usan, Jejudo regional cancer registries were included in that volume. In this paper, the editorial process, the characteristics of national data, and quality indices in CI5 IX are being described. In addition, cancer control activities related to cancer registration in some selected countries are also presented.

Establishment of an Asian Cancer Registry Network - problems and perspectives.

Abstract: Cancer registration is the base for our understanding of the burden of neoplastic disease in our populations at the local, regional and national levels. Comparability of data is essential for interpretation and this in turn depends on standardization of methodology and the diagnostic and other criteria applied. If this is to be achieved across Asia, some form of international organization is clearly necessary. The question therefore should be whether the existing arrangement is adequate, and if this is not the case how a network in Asia might be established with due consideration of aims and attainable objectives. The present commentary focuses on the contributions made by the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR) and individual country-based or region-based associations already active in Asia. Building on an analysis of the present status in Asia, as well as experience of the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), potential problems and possible solutions are here reviewed, with coverage of both organizational and financial constraints. An argument is presented here that there is a rationale for some form of an Asian Network of Cancer Registries, supported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the UICC-Asian Regional Office, working alongside the IACR and existing national organizations and research institutes.