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Background and Aim Methods Results Conclusions Oral and esophageal cancers are globally prevalent, especially in East Asia. Over half of head and neck cancer patients developing second primary esophageal cancer (SPEC) were initially diagnosed with oral cavity cancer (OCC). This study assessed the cost‐effectiveness of universal endoscopic screening for early SPEC prevention in newly diagnosed OCC patients at different stages.This study employed Markov cohort models to evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of endoscopic SPEC screening post‐OCC diagnosis (stages 0 to IV) between screened and non‐screened groups. Four surveillance frequencies were assessed: (i) one time, (ii) annual for 3 years, (iii) annual for 10 years, and (iv) annual for life. A hypothetical cohort of 100 000 cases across stages was compared for costs and quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs), discounted annually at 3%.All four screening strategies were beneficial for all OCC stages, especially for early‐stage patients, resulting in higher QALYs. Lifetime/annual screening from the payer's perspective proved most favorable, with incremental QALYs of 1.23 at stage 0 and 0.06 at stage IV. Incremental costs for this strategy ranged from NTD 121 331 (USD 4044) at stage 0 to NTD 13 032 (USD 434) at stage IV. Both incremental costs and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) values indicated cost savings from a societal perspective. The ICER values ranged from NTD −626 440 (USD −20 881) at stage 0 and NTD −475 021 (USD −15 834) at stage IV.Overall, our study provided cost‐effectiveness evidences to understanding the cost‐effectiveness of endoscopic screening in OCC patients, particularly emphasizing the benefits of early and consistent screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeMethodsResultsConclusionHelicobacter pylori (HP), which colonizes exclusively in the gastrointestinal tract, has been reported to dysregulate the immune response and gives rise to several extra-gastrointestinal autoimmune disorders. However, the relationship between HP and immune-mediated ocular diseases remains ambiguous. This study aims to clarify the association between immune-mediated ocular diseases and HP infection, as well as the impact of HP treatment on the incidence of immune-mediated ocular diseases.This is a retrospective population-based study using National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Patients with newly diagnosed peptic ulcer disease or HP infection between 2009 and 2015 were identified as HP group and compared to the non-HP group with one-to-one exact matching. Moreover, the incident risk of immune-mediated ocular diseases and its two subgroups (ocular surface and orbital inflammation group, intraocular inflammation group) were compared in HP patients with or without treatment.A total of 1,030,119 subjects in the non-HP group and 1,030,119 patients in the HP group were enrolled. The incidence rate of immune-mediated ocular diseases was significantly higher in the HP group (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.534–2.547). The incident rate ratio was significantly higher in HP with treatment than without treatment (HR: 1.654, 95% CI: 1.641–1.668). The Cox proportional hazards regression model demonstrated a significantly increased HR of immune-mediated ocular diseases in HP treated group (HR: 2.265, 95% CI: 2.024–2.534) and less increased HR in HP non-treated group (HR: 1.427, 95% CI: 1.273–1.598) when comparing to non-HP group. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a significantly higher incidence rate of ocular surface and orbital inflammation as well as intraocular inflammation in the HP group.This study illustrated a higher incidence of immune-mediated ocular diseases in HP infection, and a heightened risk following HP eradication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Taiwan implemented the Cancer Screening Quality Improvement Program (CAQIP) in 2010. The program sought to enhance mass breast cancer screening accessibility. This study aimed to examine socioeconomic disparities in outreach screening utilization pre-CAQIP (2005–2009) and post-CAQIP (2010–2014). Method: We conducted a nationwide population-based observational study in Taiwan, analyzing four population databases to evaluate socioeconomic disparities among women aged 50 to 69 years undergoing their first mammography screening pre-CAQIP. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine changes in utilization of outreach screening pre- and post-CAQIP implementation, and to estimate the Slope Index of Inequity (SII) and Relative Index of Inequity (RII) values. Results: Utilization of outreach screening through mobile mammography units (MMUs) increased from 6.12 to 32.87% between the two periods. Following CAQIP, a higher proportion of screened women were older, less educated, and from suburban or rural areas. The SII and RII for age, income, and urbanization levels decreased post-CAQIP. However, regarding education level, SII was − 0.592 and RII was 0.392 in the pre-CAQIP period, increasing to -0.173 and 0.804 post-CAQIP, respectively. Conclusions: Our study observed that utilization of outreach screening through MMUs increased after CAQIP. The MMUs made outreach screening services more accessible in Taiwan. Expanding outreach screening services and educational programs to promote mammography uptake in local communities could help reduce the potential effect of socioeconomic disparities, and thus may enhance early detection of breast cancer. Further study could focus on the accessibility of outreach screening and breast cancer outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]