Posted on 03.04.2024 at 07.09 Posted on 03.04.2024 at 07.09 Modified on 03.4.2024 at 16.12 Views 1
Gyeongchip (March 5), when frogs wake up from winter sleep, is just around the corner. Since ancient times, it has been said that the frozen water of the Taedong River in North Korea will melt after rain and rain.
In March, when the spring breeze blows and new life sprouts, it’s time to renew the body and mind that have shrunk all winter. That’s why more and more people go to hospitals for health checks in March, when spring begins.
Earlier this year, Mr A (40), who had set “health” as his goal for the new year, also recently underwent a health check-up in hospital. Since I was eligible for cancer screening this year, I also had a gastroscopy.
Upper colonoscopy. [사진=대동병원]However, a few days later, I was shocked to see that the gastroscopy result was written as “positive” on the test result sheet I received in the mail. This is because when they tested me for COVID-19, I remembered the “positive” test that was given to infected people. I thought the gastroscopy results were terrible and had trouble sleeping, wondering if I had cancer.
If the COVID-19 pathogen test result is above a certain level, it is called “positive” (陽性). It means you have an illness. On the other hand, “negative” (陰性) means that there is no reaction or the level is below a certain level, which means that the test result is not pathological. Blood or urine tests conducted fundamentally in national health checks are also marked “positive” if an abnormality is present and “negative” if no abnormality is present.
However, the results of stomach tests and colonoscopy are different. If cells in the stomach or colon proliferate abnormally and a lumpy tumor is discovered, a biopsy is performed. Accordingly, if the tissue in question is cancerous, it is expressed as “malignant” (惡性) using the word “eak” (惡), which means bad. However, if it is not cancerous, it is called “benign” (良性) using the character “yang” (良), which means good.
Tumors are expressed as “malignant” or “benign” rather than “benign” or “negative.”
In most cases, benign tumors are not life-threatening, except in some particular cases. However, follow-up may be necessary. On the other hand, malignant tumors are tumors that invade surrounding tissues and are life-threatening and may be called cancer.
Positive and negative have different meanings not only in cancers but also in tests to check for antibodies such as hepatitis B antibodies. If you have antibodies to the virus, you are called “positive,” while if you have no antibodies, you are called “positive.” negative”. If the test result is negative, there are no antibodies that protect against pathogenic germs, so it is necessary to get vaccinated beforehand.
Kim Yun-mi (Department of Family Medicine), director of the Comprehensive Health Examination Center of Daedong Hospital, said: “People often get confused like Mr. A because they usually think that the opposite of negative is positive, but the meaning of negative and positive differs depending on the type and purpose of the test,” he said.
National health checks range from general cancer checks, student health and newborn health.
Meanwhile, representative national health checks include general health checks and oncological checks. General health checks are carried out once every two years for workers enrolled in health insurance, local heads of households, family members and dependents aged 20 years or older, and beneficiaries of medical benefits aged between 20 and 64 years old. This year it applies to people born in even years and, exceptionally, is implemented every year for non-white collar workers.
Cancer screening includes stomach, breast, colon, liver and cervical cancer, which are the most common in Korea. For stomach cancer, a gastrointestinal contrast test or gastroscopy is performed every two years for those aged 40 years and older, while for colon cancer, a test for occult blood is performed annually in the stool for those aged 50 and older. If it is “positive” here, colonoscopy or double contrast examination of the colon is also selected.
For liver cancer, liver ultrasound and blood tests are performed every six months for those at high risk of liver cancer over the age of 40, once in the first and second half of the year. Additionally, for women, those over the age of 40 should have a mammogram every two years and those over the age of 20 should have a cervical cytology test every two years. National health checks also include health checks in transition periods with medical benefits, health checks for students and health checks for newborns.
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