As the government said it will raise the early diagnosis rate for the six major cancers to 60% by 2030, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "Reducing the number of nonparticipants in low-income groups is the most realistic solution." On regional gaps in cancer treatment and the stagnant hospice utilization rate, it noted these are "tasks for the overall health care delivery system," signaling institutional supplements.
Regarding the Fifth Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (2026–2030) announced on the 24th, Public Health Policy Officer Lee Jung-gyu and Disease Policy Division Director Jang Jae-won took questions.
-You said you will raise the early diagnosis rate for the six major cancers from 57.7% to 60%. What is the key measure to lift it by 2.3 percentage points?
"A substantial share of nonparticipants are in low-income groups. It is important to raise screening participation through active outreach and guidance for them. We have been doing this, but we will do it more actively."
The government covers the full screening cost for medical aid beneficiaries and 90% for the bottom 50% of National Health Insurance enrollees. There is currently no separate outreach program tailored to low-income groups.
"We do leaflets and TV/radio ads, but I think we need to develop ways tailored to low-income groups to improve accessibility."
-What is the budget size to strengthen the capacity of regional cancer centers?
"We are considering about 9.8 billion won next year. Budgets related to regional public services are under separate discussion, so they could be further strengthened if needed."
-There are criticisms that, unlike Japan and the United Kingdom, there is a lack of systems for continued community-based management after treatment.
"Currently, many cancer patients receive follow-up care at the hospital where they were treated every six months or annually. We are trying to expand community linkages after acute-phase treatment, but it is true that this is still lacking."
Patient anxiety is also an obstacle.
"From the patient's perspective, there is anxiety about whether the same level of care is available in the community and whether rapid responses are possible if problems arise. Systems for sharing patient information are also insufficient."
The government sees this as a problem across the entire health care delivery system.
"This is not a problem only for cancer patients. We will strengthen exchanges between the National Cancer Center and regional cancer centers to share standard treatments and build capacity through research collaboration. We need to move in a direction that gives the public confidence that 'standard care is available anywhere nationwide.'"
-Are regional cancer centers installed in all 17 metropolitan and provincial jurisdictions?
"No. There are currently 13. Gwangju and South Jeolla are covered by a single center, and the same goes for Daegu and North Gyeongsang. Seoul and Sejong do not have designated regional cancer centers."
There are no plans to install them in every jurisdiction.
"We do not think there must be one for each jurisdiction. For now, there are no plans to expand."
-What are the measures to reduce regional gaps in diagnostic capacity?
"It is true that there are fewer physicians outside the Seoul metropolitan area. Workforce shortages create a vicious cycle that widens the gaps."
The government explained that this is an issue to be addressed not only in the cancer field but also alongside strengthening essential and public health care in the regions.
"There are differences among hospitals even within Seoul. That said, we cannot make all gaps zero. Fundamentally, the goal is to make standard treatment available anywhere nationwide."
Rather than unilaterally demanding high-difficulty research in the regions, the idea is to raise capacity for standard treatment through joint research with relatively less burden.
-How will you expand the eligibility for lung cancer screening?
Under current domestic criteria, the high-risk group is ages 54–74 with a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years. Low-dose CT screening also carries a large expense burden.
"The United States and Germany lowered the starting age to 50 and eased the minimum smoking history to 20 pack-years. Referring to overseas cases, we are reviewing a direction to somewhat ease the age and the scope of high-risk groups. Specific plans have not yet been finalized."
-There are also criticisms that counseling channels are lacking after cancer patients are discharged.
The government said it will strengthen counseling functions at the National Cancer Center. However, it explained there are limits to identifying every patient's individual medical history and providing tailored counseling.
"The aim is to create an official channel that provides accurate information. It will not be easy to resolve every detail the public is curious about, but a systematic counseling system is necessary."
-Why does hospice utilization remain around 20%?
"The problem is not that it has fallen, but that it is not rising further. Expansion of institutions has not been sufficient."
They also said the culture centered on cancer treatment has an impact.
"There is a perception that using hospice care feels like giving up treatment. We have put the emphasis on raising survival rates, but support for people at the end of life has been relatively less active."
There are currently 188 hospice-specialty institutions. The government plans to expand institutions going forward and induce participation by medical institutions by linking it to cancer adequacy evaluation indicators. Fees for home-based hospice care were also more than doubled recently.
-Where is the additional base hospital for pediatric and adolescent cancer?
"It will be selected through an open call. No location has been decided yet."