A demonstration project on cancer screening in rural Thailand: preliminary report

A demonstration multiphasic cancer screening program was conducted in a rural village in Thailand under the coordination of Bangkok's National Cancer Institute. The village's physician, mayor, and other members of the community assumed a variety of volunteer roles in order to provide logistical support. In short, this became a community-oriented program. 349 patients (100 males, 249 females) were evaluated. 6 verified cancers (2 recurrent) were detected. 47 patients received a diagnosis of a putative precancer disease, such as dysplasia of the uterine cervix, leukoplakia of the vulva, or of the oral mucosa. Cancer educational programs were provided for the entire community and more intensively for those patients who participated in the program. The most vexing problem was poor follow-up.