Purpose
The Asia Pacific region is marked by healthcare diversity and economic disparity.
Materials and Methods
To understand the utilization and reimbursement practices of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and other sequencing methods relevant to oncology clinical practice in the region, a semi-structured survey was undertaken of respondents from 11 countries represented by the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) 2024 Young Oncologist Forum alumni.
Results
While 79% of respondents reported access to NGS at their institution, full government reimbursement was uncommon and varied by test type and clinical setting. Japan and South Korea offered the most comprehensive public coverage, including for circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA)-based liquid biopsy. Lower- and upper-middle-income countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and India, reported no government reimbursement, thus relying on user-pay methods or private insurance payments. One marked barrier to NGS reimbursement was the prohibitive cost of tests (100%), followed by a limited budget to fund testing (79%), and then by policy or regulatory restrictions (50%). On a similar note, insurance coverage (93%) and patient income (86%) were key concerns regarding access and equity to tests. Test reimbursement (or lack thereof) and cost were cited almost universally as the most elevated concerns by the respondents.
Conclusion
The findings demonstrated a wide disparity in access, funding and reimbursement of sequencing tests across the region. Addressing cost, improving reimbursement mechanisms, and building infrastructure capacity will be critical for the equitable integration of NGS into routine cancer care in the Asia-Pacific.
Kyumin Kim, Harin Kim, Joohee Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho, Myung Hee Ahn, Ki Young Son, Jeong Eun Kim, Hee Jeong Kim, Sang Min Yoon, So Hee Kim, Moon Jung Kwon, Hwa Jung Kim, Su-Jin Koh, Seyoung Seo, Seockhoon Chung
Cancer Res Treat. 2022;54(3):671-679. Published online September 17, 2021
Purpose Literature is scarce regarding cancer care utilization during the massive outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Republic of Korea. We investigated functional impairments in mental health and their relationships with depression, anxiety regarding the viral epidemic, and disruptions in healthcare service utilization among cancer patients in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Materials and Methods We used an online survey with questions related to the disturbances faced by patients with cancer in utilizing healthcare services in the pandemic era. Current mental health status was assessed using the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 (SAVE-6) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Cancer-Related Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep Scale (C-DBS), and Fear of COVID-19 over Cancer (FCC).
Results Among the 221 responders, 95 (43.0%) reported disruptions in healthcare service utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analysis revealed that functional impairment in the mental health of these patients was expected due to disruptions in healthcare service utilization, high levels of depression, anxiety regarding the viral epidemic, fear of COVID over cancer, and low resilience. Mediation analysis showed that patient resilience and cancer-related dysfunctional beliefs about sleep partially mediated the effects of viral anxiety on functional impairment.
Conclusion In this pandemic era, patients with cancer experience depression, anxiety regarding the viral epidemic, and disruptions in healthcare service utilization, which may influence their functional impairments in mental health.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
The COVID-19 pandemic experience for patients with central nervous system tumors: Differences in patient-reported outcomes and practice recommendations Amanda L King, Kayla N Roche, Elizabeth Vera, Valentina Pillai, Lily Polskin, Alvina A Acquaye-Mallory, Lisa Boris, Eric Burton, Anna Choi, Ewa Grajkowska, Heather E Leeper, Marissa Panzer, Marta Penas-Prado, Jennifer Reyes, Solmaz Sahebjam, Brett J Theel Neuro-Oncology Practice.2025; 12(1): 76. CrossRef
Possible Role of Cancer-Related Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep and Intolerance of Uncertainty on Cognitive-Behavioral Model of the COVID-Related Hypochondriasis Among Patients With Cancer Harin Kim, Seockhoon Chung Psychiatry Investigation.2025; 22(6): 722. CrossRef
Burden of Functional Impairments in Latin American Cancer Survivors Ana Carolina Méndez-Silva, Gema Herrera-Belmonte, Vanessa Ucles-Villalobos, Judith del Rosario Bermúdez-Ruiz, Ilse Joadán Santiago-Escamilla, Cecilia Michelle Romo-Aguirre, Humberto Emmanuel Meza-Álvarez, Brenda Espinoza-Castillo Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Utilization of upper gastrointestinal tumor inpatient services affected by COVID-19 in China 2018–2021: an interrupted time series analysis Xue Yang, Mengying Liu, Hui Lu Frontiers in Public Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Material stability and cancer patient mental health: A Williamson Transaction Cost perspective Yonglin Yuan, Yin Yuan Psycho-Oncologie.2025; 19(4): 4245. CrossRef
Prevalence of depressive symptoms and correlates among individuals who self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection after optimizing the COVID-19 response in China Liangjia Wei, Jiao Qin, Zhifeng Lin, Xinju Huang, Jinfeng He, Dee Yu, Fei Zhang, Sisi Li, Ping Cen, Mu Li, Tong Luo, Rongjing Zhang, Shanmei Zhong, Cai Qin, Zeyu Li, Yuan Yang, Huiqi Pan, Mengdi Zhao, Xiaoqiong Wu, Junjun Jiang, Hao Liang, Li Ye, Bingyu L Frontiers in Public Health.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Evaluation of mental health of students in healthcare education programs at Qatar University Ola Hayk, Abdulla Mansoor, Shahd Al-Najdi, Alaa Daud, Rula Shami, Najah Al-Hashimi, Kamran Ali MedEdPublish.2024; 14: 37. CrossRef
Inpatient Hospice Care in Korea during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Study Youn Seon Choi, Sun Wook Hwang, In Cheol Hwang Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care.2024; 27(2): 82. CrossRef
Risk factors for heightened COVID‐19‐Related anxiety among breast cancer patients Yash B. Shah, Stephanie Kjelstrom, Diana Martinez, Adam Leitenberger, Donna‐Marie Manasseh, Melissa Bollmann‐Jenkins, Ann Partridge, Virginia Kaklamani, Rowen Chlebowski, Sharon Larson, Marisa Weiss Cancer Medicine.2023; 12(3): 3577. CrossRef
Discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time in patients with cancer: The DBST index and its relationship with insomnia severity and sleep onset latency Eulah Cho, Jaeeun Song, Joohee Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho, Dongin Lee, Hayun Choi, Harin Kim, Seockhoon Chung Frontiers in Psychiatry.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Health-related quality of life and depressive symptoms of patients with chronic diseases and the general population before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea Yeeun Park, Kyong Park Frontiers in Psychology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
A study of COVID anxiety, spiritual well-being and resilience levels in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in the south of Iran Zahra Khiyali, Zeinab Naderi, Mohammadkazem Vakil, Hajar Ghasemi, Azizallah Dehghan, Mostafa Bijani BMC Psychology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Does Viral Anxiety Influence the Insomnia Severity Among Patients With Insomnia Disorder During COVID-19 Pandemic? Jana Sleiman, Eulah Cho, Dongin Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho, Seockhoon Chung, Omer Faruk Uygur Sleep Medicine Research.2023; 14(1): 25. CrossRef
Associations of psychological status and ultrasonic characteristics of thyroid nodules in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic Zhengwu Lei, Zhongxiang He, Ying Mei, Xiaoya Qi, Pingping Yu, Guoqiong Xu, Hongfeng Cheng, Ruixue Bai, Jing Deng Frontiers in Psychology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
The Impact of COVID-19 on Psychiatric Health in the Korean Population Sheng-Min Wang, Sung-Hwan Kim, Won-Seok Choi, Hyun Kook Lim, Young Sup Woo, Chi-Un Pae, Won-Myong Bahk Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience.2023; 21(3): 410. CrossRef
Adherence to Physical Distancing and Health Beliefs About COVID-19 Among Patients With Cancer Sajida Fawaz Hammoudi, Oli Ahmed, Hoyoung An, Youjin Hong, Myung Hee Ahn, Seockhoon Chung Journal of Korean Medical Science.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Catastrophizing Maladaptive Coping Affects the Association Between Viral Anxiety and Fear of Progression in Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic Hyuk Joo Lee, Cheolkyung Sin, Hyeyeong Kim, Hyeon-Su Im, Jae-Cheol Jo, Yoo Jin Lee, Youjin Kim, Junseok Ahn, Soyoung Yoo, Su-Jin Koh, Seockhoon Chung Psychiatry Investigation.2023; 20(12): 1204. CrossRef
The role of social support and resilience in the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers in Spain Esther Ortiz-Calvo, Gonzalo Martínez-Alés, Roberto Mediavilla, Elisabeth González-Gómez, Eduardo Fernández-Jiménez, María-Fe Bravo-Ortiz, Berta Moreno-Küstner Journal of Psychiatric Research.2022; 148: 181. CrossRef
The Validation Study of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics−6 Scale Among Patients With Cancer in the COVID-19 Pandemic Hyeyeong Kim, Harin Kim, Hyuk Joo Lee, Eulah Cho, Su-Jin Koh, Oli Ahmed, Seockhoon Chung Frontiers in Psychiatry.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Resilience, Social Support, and Anxious Preoccupation in Patients with Advanced Cancer during COVID-19 Pandemic Veronica Velasco-Durantez, Paula Jimenez-Fonseca, Carla M. Martín Abreu, Ismael Ghanem, Manuel González Moya, Elena Asensio, María J. Corral, Adan Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Mireia Gil-Raga, Alberto Carmona-Bayonas, Caterina Calderon Cancer Investigation.2022; 40(6): 475. CrossRef
Mental Health in Postoperative Thyroid Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic Shijie Yang, Xiequn Xu Frontiers in Endocrinology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Effect of Cancer-Related Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep on Fear of Cancer Progression in the Coronavirus Pandemic Harin Kim, Inn-Kyu Cho, Dongin Lee, Kyumin Kim, Joohee Lee, Eulah Cho, C. Hyung Keun Park, Seockhoon Chung Journal of Korean Medical Science.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Insomnia Mediate the Influence of Reassurance-Seeking Behavior and Viral Anxiety on Preoccupation With COVID-19 Among the General Population Eulah Cho, Dongin Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho, Joohee Lee, Junseok Ahn, Young Rong Bang Sleep Medicine Research.2022; 13(2): 68. CrossRef
Reliability and Validity of Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep-2 (DBS-2), an Ultra-brief Rating Scale for Assessing Dysfunctional Thoughts About Sleep Kyumin Kim, Seockhoon Chung, Eulah Cho, Jung Mun Choi, Dongin Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho Sleep Medicine Research.2022; 13(3): 165. CrossRef
Jii Bum Lee, Minkyu Jung, June Hyuk Kim, Bo Hyun Kim, Yeol Kim, Young Seok Kim, Byung Chang Kim, Jin Kim, Sung Ho Moon, Keon-Uk Park, Meerim Park, Hyeon Jin Park, Sung Hoon Sim, Hong Man Yoon, Soo Jung Lee, Eunyoung Lee, June Young Chun, Youn Kyung Chung, So-Youn Jung, Jinsoo Chung, Eun Sook Lee, Hyun Cheol Chung, Tak Yun, Sun Young Rha
Cancer Res Treat. 2021;53(2):323-329. Published online March 15, 2021
At the end of 2019, the cause of pneumonia outbreaks in Wuhan, China, was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In February 2020, the World Health Organization named the disease cause by SARS-CoV-2 as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In response to the pandemic, the Korean Cancer Association formed the COVID-19 task force to develop practice guidelines. This special article introduces the clinical practice guidelines for cancer patients which will help oncologists best manage cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
The impact of COVID-19 on clinical practices of colorectal cancer in South Korea Kwang Woo Kim, Hyoun Woo Kang Intestinal Research.2025; 23(1): 6. CrossRef
Possible Role of Cancer-Related Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep and Intolerance of Uncertainty on Cognitive-Behavioral Model of the COVID-Related Hypochondriasis Among Patients With Cancer Harin Kim, Seockhoon Chung Psychiatry Investigation.2025; 22(6): 722. CrossRef
Preoperative COVID-19 and Postoperative Mortality in Cancer Surgery: A South Korean Nationwide Study Jae-Woo Ju, Soo-Hyuk Yoon, Tak Kyu Oh, Ho-Jin Lee Annals of Surgical Oncology.2024; 31(10): 6394. CrossRef
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and Gastric Cancer Claims in South Korea: A Nationwide, Population-Based Study Min Ah Suh, Su Bee Park, Min Seob Kwak, Jin Young Yoon, Jae Myung Cha Yonsei Medical Journal.2023; 64(9): 549. CrossRef
The elderly population are more vulnerable for the management of colorectal cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide, population-based study Hong Sun Kang, Seung Hoon Jeon, Su Bee Park, Jin Young Youn, Min Seob Kwak, Jae Myung Cha Intestinal Research.2023; 21(4): 500. CrossRef
Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Gastric Cancer Diagnosis and Stage: A Single-Institute Study in South Korea Moonki Hong, Mingee Choi, JiHyun Lee, Kyoo Hyun Kim, Hyunwook Kim, Choong-Kun Lee, Hyo Song Kim, Sun Young Rha, Gyu Young Pih, Yoon Jin Choi, Da Hyun Jung, Jun Chul Park, Sung Kwan Shin, Sang Kil Lee, Yong Chan Lee, Minah Cho, Yoo Min Kim, Hyoung-Il Kim, Journal of Gastric Cancer.2023; 23(4): 574. CrossRef
Health-Seeking Behavior Returning to Normalcy Overcoming COVID-19 Threat in Breast Cancer Eun-Gyeong Lee, Yireh Han, Dong-Eun Lee, Hyeong-Gon Moon, Hyoung Won Koh, Eun-Kyu Kim, So-Youn Jung Cancer Research and Treatment.2023; 55(4): 1222. CrossRef
Adherence to Physical Distancing and Health Beliefs About COVID-19 Among Patients With Cancer Sajida Fawaz Hammoudi, Oli Ahmed, Hoyoung An, Youjin Hong, Myung Hee Ahn, Seockhoon Chung Journal of Korean Medical Science.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
To overcome medical gap in screening and surveillance of colorectal cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic Yoo Min Han Intestinal Research.2023; 21(4): 418. CrossRef
COVID-19 pandemic: a new cause of unplanned interruption of radiotherapy in breast cancer patients Shiho Lee, Jaesung Heo Medical Oncology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Breast Cancer Management in Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study of Medical Oncologists Diogo Alpuim Costa, José Guilherme Gonçalves Nobre, João Paulo Fernandes, Marta Vaz Batista, Ana Simas, Carolina Sales, Helena Gouveia, Leonor Abreu Ribeiro, Andreia Coelho, Margarida Brito, Mariana Inácio, André Cruz, Mónica Mariano, Joana Savva-Bordalo, Oncology and Therapy.2022; 10(1): 225. CrossRef
Organisation of cancer care in troubling times: A scoping review of expert guidelines and their implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic Brenda Bogaert, Victoria Buisson, Zizis Kozlakidis, Pierre Saintigny Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology.2022; 173: 103656. CrossRef
Surgical safety in the COVID-19 era: present and future considerations Young Il Kim, In Ja Park Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research.2022; 102(6): 295. CrossRef
Effect of Cancer-Related Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep on Fear of Cancer Progression in the Coronavirus Pandemic Harin Kim, Inn-Kyu Cho, Dongin Lee, Kyumin Kim, Joohee Lee, Eulah Cho, C. Hyung Keun Park, Seockhoon Chung Journal of Korean Medical Science.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gastric Cancer Screening in South Korea: Results From the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey (2017–2021) Kyeongmin Lee, Mina Suh, Jae Kwan Jun, Kui Son Choi Journal of Gastric Cancer.2022; 22(4): 297. CrossRef
Changes in cancer screening before and during COVID‐19: findings from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey 2019 and 2020 Thao Thi Kim Trinh, Yun Yeong Lee, Mina Suh, Jae Kwan Jun, Kui Son Choi Epidemiology and Health.2022; 44: e2022051. CrossRef
Treatment decision for cancer patients with fever during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic In Hee Lee, Sung Ae Koh, Soo Jung Lee, Sun Ah Lee, Yoon Young Cho, Ji Yeon Lee, Jin Young Kim Yeungnam University Journal of Medicine.2021; 38(4): 344. CrossRef
Purpose
When it comes to cancer care, the psychological well-being of family caregivers has gotten its deserved attention. However, the specific roles that the family caregivers take have not been examined as much. The current study aimed to investigate the distribution of family caregivers’ roles, particularly in a family-oriented culture, Korea.
Materials and Methods
A sample of 439 participants was recruited from 11 national and regional cancer centers in Korea. The participants who were 60 years old or above went through treatments for their gastric, colorectal, or lung cancer. The individual survey included questions regarding the family type, living arrangement, and the sources of support when it comes to their physical, emotional, financial, and decision-making needs.
Results
The responses from the participants showed that cancer caregiving is shared by multiple family caregivers; the major source of support for elderly cancer patients on diverse domains was their spouse; patients’ reliance on their daughter(s) increased for emotional support; and patients’ reliance on their son(s) stood out for financial support and decision-making support. Also, the older the patients were, the heavier their reliance was on the adult children, including sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law.
Conclusion
Future support programs for elderly cancer patients are suggested to involve multiple family caregivers to encourage effective and efficient intervention. Also, the limitations of the current study and the suggestions for future research are discussed.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Symptoms, Unmet Needs, and Length of Hospital Stay among Older Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization Jein Seon, Songran Kim, Juyeon Kim, Mira Kim, Hyekyung Kim Asian Oncology Nursing.2025; 25(2): 100. CrossRef
Family roles and limitations as mediators in medical communication for cancer patients: A qualitative study Yeori Park, Jiyeon Kang, Yeonju Kim, Young Su Park, Sang-Ho Yoo, Taiwo Opeyemi Aremu PLOS One.2025; 20(10): e0333669. CrossRef
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Caregiving for Older Family Members by Young Caregivers in Singapore: Transition, Trials, and Tribulations Araviinthansai Subramaniam, Kalyani Kirtikar Mehta International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2024; 21(2): 182. CrossRef
Good Together Makes it Better? Carolina Blom, Ana Catarina Reis, Leonor Lencastre European Journal of Psychology Open.2024; 83(3): 119. CrossRef
Caregiving Strain, family functioning, and effort to change diet for patients with gastrointestinal cancer: A cross-sectional descriptive study Myung Kyung Lee European Journal of Oncology Nursing.2023; 62: 102264. CrossRef
Preferred and actual involvement of caregivers in oncologic treatment decision-making: A systematic review Laura M.L. Tielemans, Kirsten D. van Heugten, Marije E. Hamaker, Inez C. van Walree Journal of Geriatric Oncology.2023; 14(6): 101525. CrossRef
Effectiveness of Nursing Interventions for Patients With Cancer and their Family Members: A Systematic Review Cristina Alfaro-Díaz, Erla Kolbrun Svavarsdottir, Nuria Esandi, Marianne E. Klinke, Ana Canga-Armayor Journal of Family Nursing.2022; 28(2): 95. CrossRef
Active Engagement, Protective Buffering, and Depressive Symptoms in Young-Midlife Couples Surviving Cancer: The Roles of Age and Sex Karen S. Lyons, Jessica R. Gorman, Brandon S. Larkin, Grace Duncan, Brandon Hayes-Lattin Frontiers in Psychology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Exploring positive experiences of primary and secondary caregivers of older persons in resource-limited urban settings in Accra, Ghana Frank Kyei-Arthur, Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Delali Margaret Badasu, Vijayaprasad Gopichandran PLOS ONE.2022; 17(4): e0266269. CrossRef
Health practices in Europe towards families of older patients with cancer: a scoping review Hanne Konradsen, Anne Brødsgaard, Birte Østergaard, Erla Svavarsdóttir, Karin B. Dieperink, Lorenz Imhof, Marie Louise Luttik, Romy Mahrer‐Imhof, Cristina García‐Vivar Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences.2021; 35(2): 375. CrossRef
Family Caregivers' Emotional Preparedness for Death is Distinct from Their Cognitive Prognostic Awareness for Cancer Patients Siew Tzuh, Wen-Cheng Chang, Wen-Chi Chou, Chia-Hsun Hsieh, Jen-Shi Chen, Fur-Hsing Wen Journal of Palliative Medicine.2021; 24(3): 405. CrossRef
Exploring perceptions and practices of cancer care among caregivers and care recipients of breast cancer in India Shradha S. Parsekar, Ajay Bailey, Binu V. S., Suma Nair Psycho-Oncology.2020; 29(4): 737. CrossRef