Comments on: Cancer scares three in four Japanese: part one of two

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:19:49 +0000

Really should be more people getting sputum tests for lung cancer, considering the nation’s love of smoking. It’s quick and easy to do, and even applies to people who work around secondhand smoke all day – a friend of mine lost her dad due to his whole office smoking inside the building (this was long before the UK ban).

And wow, the ladies need to check up on themselves more! Cervical screenings should be waaay up percentage-wise, and breast checks as well. Perhaps it’s all a bit embarrassing for them (embarrassment seems a major deterrent especially in Japan) but it is desperately necessary.

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:14:57 +0000

I love them too! but awful carcinogens in burnt food – not worth the risk really

By: Janne

Janne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:36:40 +0000

Heh, I think they’re fun It’s not often you get the experience of being a plucked chicken on a conveyor belt (well, minus the cutting off the head bit).

By: Ken Y-N

Ken Y-N — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:10:03 +0000

Oh, I see – maybe I was just joining in with the general gaijin moaning about these compulsory checks…

By: Ken Y-N

Ken Y-N — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:09:08 +0000

Risking the wrath of Janne I’ll say that I’ve also heard that TB is better (and more cheaply) detected with a skin test that tells if you have latent TB; x-rays should only be used to confirm the results of a positive test.

By: Janne

Janne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:48:17 +0000

I’d argue against. The bus x-rays are as good, technically. And the screening might not only be as good, but better than at a regular clinic; the people doing the screening for those health check companies do nothing much else, and build up a lot of experience. And it’s known that experience – the number of cases they see – is an important factor in radiology screening accuracy.

Yes, health check clinics – and the bus versions especially – are dingy and worn, and the whole process is very conveyor-belt like. But the health check quality is no worse than at a regular clinic, and for some things is probably better.

By: Debaser

Debaser — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:50:53 +0000

I was under the impression that the annual x-ray test’s primary purpose was to check for TB, not for cancer.

By: Ken Y-N

Ken Y-N — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:32:08 +0000

OK, I’ll look it up! But, I’d argue there’s a difference between the quality of a proper one-to-one versus the decrepit bus production line that we have to go for our annual check!

Oh, and I remember from a few years back that Japan has the highest incidence of X-rays per person, and the highest incidence of X-ray-caused cancers…

By: Janne

Janne — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:26:31 +0000

Look up some papers on x-ray cancer screening. It does prevent a fair number of deaths, and it turns out it is cost-effective. Though I suspect it is more so in Japan, with lots of smokers, than in many western countries.

By: umebossy

umebossy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:26 +0000

But the burnt bits are the tastiest!